Basic statements of Manifestoes of Surrealism essay

In his manifestoes of surrealism Andre Breton expressed his views on the nature of the poetic image. Instead of being created by a poet the image imposes itself on him. The beauty of images construes the fruitfulness of the mind. Besides, the power of images and the arbitrariness of their display are pointed out by Breton. They can reveal the underlying progress of the controlled thought often disguised in an enigmatic way. Within the scope of extended thought nothing is impossible, thus the mind in surrealism can relive the best moments of one's life. Breton was against surrealist cliches believing in unexpected associations, which appeared suddenly. He stressed the focus on form rather than meaning.

The chief aim of Andre Breton's Manifesto of Surrealism was to liberate one's mind from monotonous reality and lead him into the world he hasn't experienced before. In this aspect Breton was eager to explain what he and his contemporaries presented as surrealistic works.

Surrealism affected mostly painting, literature, music, and poetry. Among the most famous representatives of this movement are Max Ernst, Giorgio de Chirico, Man Ray, Jean Arp, Joan Miro, Rene Magritte, Salvador Dali, and T.S. Eliot. The latter wrote one of the most important poems of the twentieth century called ‘The Waste Land'.

This poem is considered to be the hallmark of the modernist poetry and is distinguished for its length, the use of allusions, and fragmented style. The poem consists of one hundred and thirty four lines, beginning with an epigraph and followed by five sections. T. S. Eliot gives also twenty seven footnotes to explain the meaning of some foreign phrases, and other important notions in the poem. It was written in 1922 with regard to the political climate after World War I. The fragmented images of historical account of events reflect the impact of old styles, traditions and customs of the formation of the new Europe. The author uses many allusions in the Waste Land.

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