Week 3: Surrealism Mystery vs. Empiricism

        Before entering this course, I was unaware that Surrealism originated as a literary movement. I had only studied Surrealism in art as an advent-guard movement that sought to release the creative potential of the unconscious mind.  When I think of surrealist artwork, I think of irrational juxtaposition of objects and familiar images. I found it interesting to see surrealism in poetry, the disembodied voice that creates mindful contradictions.

        Just like surrealist art, the literature can be confusing. To me, lines of Joyce Mansour’s poetry were difficult to comprehend. I think this is because they have ambiguous meanings, and it’s challenging to try to piece together what message is trying to be conveyed. Nonetheless, many of her lines are magical. One of my favorite lines in “Blue Like a Desert” is “The nomad under his tent listens to the time screeching on the gravel of insomnia” (line 17,18). A nomad, one who moves constantly, hears “time screeching.” Time as human made construct is outpouring a shrill cry, possibly because it’s fed up with its metaphorical existence. “Gravel of insomnia,” is such an obscure connection. What I enjoy about these poems collectively is the breaking of rational and elimination of the limitations of logic.