ABSTRACT
The word 'symbol' and to a lesser extent its cognates symbolism, symbolic have a dual life. More interesting and sophisticated are the theories of poetic symbolism, found in Kant, the English romantics and elsewhere, for example in Jung. The particular work of art is our attempt to express the inexpressible idea, for example the idea of God. Dream symbols have often been considered candidates for the status of natural symbols with a fixed meaning, which can be spelt out in a dictionary. In The Interpretation of Dreams, Freud argues against the 'dream book' approach to dream symbolism and in favour of a view of dream symbols as determined in their use and meaning by particular associations individual to the dreamer or local to his or her culture. Composers have believed in sound symbolism and painters in colour symbolism: in tones and colours which are believed to be connected to certain ideas or emotions, independently of intention or context.
