AUTOMATIC WRITING AS LINGUISTIC REBELLION: THE LINGUISTIC REALIZATION OF THE UNCONSCIOUS

Abstract

This article tracksthe development of automatism by comparing the canonical Les Champs magnétiques by André Breton and Philippe Soupault with Remedios Varo’s automatic works. The automatic effect of Les Champs magnétiquesis problematised by evidence or revision. Varo’s personal writings, on the other hand, show a more genuine use of the technique, turning the passive muse into an autonomous artist. The article concludes that, while the initial Surrealist rebellion broke external literary forms, the full potential of automatism as a mode of unmediated self-discovery was realized through its feminist appropriation, which adapted it to express a multiplicity of a personal unconscious.