Abstract
Surrealism is originally a French movement started in the 1920s gathering artists and writers all led by a will to deeply move the artistic world according to their innovative thoughts. Its name embodies novelty since the term 'surrealist' had been used for the first time in 1917 by Apollinaire, more precisely at the first representation of Les Mamelles de Tirésias. Surrealism occurs in a tormented period of post war, industrial revolution, urbanization and emergence of capitalism, and defines itself in reaction to this new context. The traditional view of the human beings has already been destroyed by Dada, it belongs then to the Surrealists, to create a new meaning for life and the society. But when it comes to figure out patterns, common ideology and aim of the group, things get immediately more complicated. Indeed, although the group's claims were artistic liberty and marginality, manifestos have been paradoxically numerous to define what Surrealism is and especially where it wants to go. André Breton, leader of French surrealism, stated it primarily as the research of surreality (essay quotation) in his first Manifesto, a concept which will be here discussed in relation to several surrealist works, particularly 'Paris Peasant' by Aragon and Nadja by Breton. Indeed, this combination of dream and reality that is affirmed to be the ultimate goal of surrealist creation is seriously questionable in later surrealists works. Is this state possible with a perfect adequacy between both components, or is one fundamentally preponderant in surrealism? Is surreality achieved in any way through the multiple supports and forms of the surrealist creation?
