Surrealism is an artistic expression, usually painting or poetry, that originates from the unconscious mind. It does not start with an idea to be logically pursued. It does not begin with an agenda, imposing meaning or form on material. Surrealistic poetry simply allows the content of the unconscious mind to rise into consciousness and pour through the tip of the pen onto the page. Surrealist expression begins in the region of the mind where dreams are conceived. The poet writing in this fashion is not concerned with the outcome, the end product. He or she does not ask the question, is this reasonable? Does this make sense?
In his Manifesto of Surrealism written in 1924 the French poet Andre Breton described this process as:
Thought dictated in the absence of all control exerted by reason,
and outside all aesthetic or moral preoccupations.
The justification for surrealistic poetry is not beauty or ethical instruction. It is a profound trust in the process of letting the unconscious mind speak for itself, uncensored and unedited. In his Manifesto Breton goes on to say:
Surrealism is based on the belief in the superior reality of certain forms of association
heretofore neglected, in the omnipotence of the dream, and in the disinterested play of thought.
To use Freudian language, surrealists trust the id, that uncultivated garden of flowers and weeds, that volcano spewing fiery magma which burns down the house while building a mountain.
The poet does not stand in the way, blocking the flow between the images of the dark wild mind and the words accumulating on paper. When the flow has subsided, the poet walks away. Later, sometimes much later, the poet returns to learn what the unconscious has offered.The poet notices images, rhythms, patterns, themes. He or she works with this material; pruning, intensifying, enhancing. Like a sculptor, the surrealistic poet clears away all that is unnecessary until a diamond appears. Then poet polishes the diamond.
Questions:
What can we learn from what we do not want to know?
What human voices trapped in the coal mine of unconsciousness call out to us?
(see poem Crow . posted on 2/8/16. Work on an interpretation for yourself. My interpretation will be posted on 2/12/16.