Poetic Terms Dictionary
Literary Movement

Surrealism

Founded by André Breton, building on Freud's theories of the unconscious. Automatic writing was its primary technique. American poets (O'Hara, Ashbery) absorbed its methods indirectly.

Definition

An art and literary movement exploring unconscious imagery, dream logic, and irrational juxtaposition to liberate the imagination.

Example

André Breton's Surrealist Manifesto (1924); the poetry of Paul Éluard, Federico García Lorca, and Philip Lamantia.

Related Terms

Modernism Expressionism Automatic Writing Dream Poetry