Just as in paintings, surrealism in literature brings the subconscious to the surface.
Surrealism is an artistic movement that emphasizes bizarre, dreamlike events. Surreal paintings often depict nightmarish and wild landscapes and events meant to represent unconscious urgings even if they don't make sense. Likewise, surreal poetry represents subconscious thoughts and might deal with outlandish images and ideas, such as Franz Kafka's story "Metamorphosis" about a man awakening as a giant bug.
History
Surrealism began in the early 1920s. While the concept of surrealism long existed in the artistic world, a young Frenchman by the name of Andre Breton who had served as a doctor in World War I is considered the founder of the formal literary movement. Breton penned a "manifesto" in 1924 to establish the meaning and purpose of surrealism. Painter Salvador Dali might be the best known surrealist artist; fewer members of the general public are familiar with the names of poets.
Purpose
Breton's publication explained that the focus on the subconscious stemmed from his experiences during the war. Breton hoped to highlight the twisted values of a society that would send its sons to be butchered through surrealist emphasis on concepts society did not accept, such as madness. His work in a psychiatric hospital during World War I also led to a fascination with the creativity and freedom from social mores the patients displayed. Breton felt underlying thoughts and dreams held power.
Meaning
Many of Sigmund Freud's beliefs form the basis of surrealism in poetry. Dreams often contain disparate elements that produce disconcerting and yet thought-provoking responses in readers, according to Breton's manifesto. Surreal poetry should express thought without reason and often creates a dream-like situation or reminds the reader of the dream state. While the objects and events might not have logical associations on the surface, the reader should react to the piece at an unconscious level.
Poets
"Iris" by David St. John represents an example of surrealism in poetry. The poem is viewed from the inside of the flower within which the speaker sees a literal train. While some poems might use such concepts strictly metaphorically, St. John points out that this bizarre situation is real: "You think I'm crazy, & like to say boyish/& outrageous things. No, there is/A train inside this iris." Other surreal poets include Robert Bly, Joy Harjo, Juan Felipe Herrera and W.S. Merwin.
