Have you heard this word before - Hypnerotomachia Poliphili .?
Hypnerotomachia Poliphili has been called the first stream-of-consciousness novel, and is one of the most important documents of Renaissance imagination and fantasy. The author (thought to be a friar of dubious reputation) was obsessed by architecture, landscape and costume – it is not going too far to say sexually obsessed – and its woodcuts are a primary source for Renaissance ideas on buildings and gardens.
It is a Greek word. The title "Hypnerotomachia" is an invented word drawn from the Greek roots for "sleep" (as in "hypnotize"), "love/lust" (as in "erotic"), and "struggle/strife" (as in "naumachia," the mock sea-fights held by ancient Romans). The title thus literally means something like "Struggle for love in a dream," and describes what the main character, Poliphilo, spends the entire story doing: searching for his beloved in a dream. Whew! The award winning book - The Rule Oof Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason is an insipiration from this or shall I say an English translation.
I knew a lot of Poliphilos during my undergrad days!!!!!