39 pages • 1 hour read
Transl. Richard Seaver, Transl. Helen R. Lane, André BretonManifestoes of Surrealism
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1924A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Index of Terms
Dada
An art movement of the 1910s-1920s that preceded Surrealism. Many of the early Surrealists originated as Dadaists. Dada artists and writers embraced randomness and produced “anti-art” that rejected the cultural and aesthetic standards that dominated the conventional art world. Dada works included poetry built from random newspaper clippings dropped on the ground and “readymades,” everyday objects presented in galleries and exhibitions as art. In Manifestoes of Surrealism, Breton explains how he hopes to set Surrealism apart from Dada.
Psychic Automatism
Psychic automatism is the core tenet of Breton’s brand of Surrealism. The phrase refers to a practice by which artists and writers attempt to produce work that is free of conscious processing. They believed that this would reflect deeper truths than those that derive from work with pre-planned meaning. "Soluble Fish” is an example of a text written using psychic automatism.
Symbolism
Symbolism is a late-19th-century European art movement that inspired many of the Surrealists. Symbolists used metaphorical images and words to convey meaning that went beyond strict representation of the real world. In Manifestoes of Surrealism, Breton credits the Symbolists with inspiring Surrealist thought, but he also believes that Symbolism was cheapened by not holding to its core values.
