Manifestoes of Surrealism

Exploring the basis of reality was a core purpose of the Surrealist Movement, especially the group that followed Breton after his first manifesto. The manifesto explains in explicit detail why dreams should be considered as real as waking life and that subconscious thoughts and desires are at least as important as those found in the conscious mind. Breton believes that modern society focuses excessively on consciousness and logic, thereby relegating the subconscious to something outside—and less important than—reality. He is especially concerned about this trend’s influence on art and writing. He criticizes novelists in particular, even such well-regarded writers as Dostoevsky. This is especially apparent in the first manifesto; he quotes passages from modern novels that he views as bland examples of scene-setting with boring characterization, arguing that this type of writing leaves the novel with no more literary merit than a catalog of home goods or a newspaper. He critiques the pragmatic focus of novels that are written to be widely and blandly relatable; their goal is to appeal to a broad audience and, thus, sell a high number of copies. Breton and his followers are immensely worried about the death of creativity, both in art and in the broader world.