Automatic woman : the representation of woman in surrealism / Katharine Conley.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Conley, Katharine, 1956-

Contributor:

Gotham Book Mart Collection (University of Pennsylvania)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Women in literature.

Surrealism (Literature).

Feminism in literature.

Penn Provenance:

Gotham Book Mart (former owner) (Gotham Book Mart Collection copy)

Physical Description:

xvi, 179 pages, 3 unnumbered pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Lincoln ; London : University of Nebraska Press, [1996]

Summary:

Contemporary feminist critics have often described surrealism as a misogynist movement. In Automatic Woman, Katharine Conley addresses this issue, confirming some feminist allegations while qualifying and overturning others. Through insightful analyses of works by a range of writers and artists, Conley develops a complex view of surrealist portrayals of Woman. Conley begins with a discussion of the composite image of Woman developed by such early male surrealists as Andre Breton, Francis Picabia, and Paul Eluard. She labels that image "Automatic Woman" - a term that comprises views of Woman as provocative and revolutionary but also as a depersonalized object largely devoid of individuality and volition. This analysis largely confirms feminist critiques of surrealism. The heart of the book, however, examines the writings of Leonora Carrington and Unica Zurn, two women in the surrealist movement whose works, Conley argues, anticipate much contemporary feminist art and theory. In concluding, Conley shows how Breton's own views on women evolved over the course of his long career, arriving at last at a position far more congenial to contemporary feminists.

Contents:

1. Writing the Virgin's Body: L'Immaculée Conception

2. Beyond the Border: Leonora Carrington's Terrible Journey

3, Through the Surrealist Looking Glass: Unica Zürn's Vision of Madness

4. From the Swinging Door to the Spiral: Rereading André Breton and Women.

Notes:

Black endpapers.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 159-168) and index.

Local Notes:

Gotham Book Mart Collection copy has dustjacket retained.

ISBN:

080321474X

OCLC:

34192591