Automatic Writings and Authorial Egos

Abstract

Abstract One of Surrealism’s fundamental principles was that of automatism. This article examines the history of automatic writing, its evolving place in the movement, and the extent to which André Breton and others adhered—or not—to this same principle, either in their own creative works or in the collaborative ones they produced together. Close readings of several key theoretical texts which outline the aims and goals of this type of literary composition, along with both more extensive consideration of potentially pre-established narrative strategies and plot structures, and specific poetic passages and images, suggest instead that for many reasons individual egos sometimes prevented genuine automatism. Analysis and discussion of these examples indicate that Surrealist authors, perhaps more often than previously thought, set up in advance, even revised, the form of their texts to make them accessible to readers who might have otherwise remained more confused.