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Surrealist Primer (Mini-Guide to my Surrealist Writings)Ver2
15 years ago
General
It occurs to me that surrealist writing may be difficult to read for those who are unfamiliar with the genre. To help alleviate this, I offer this quick guide to my surrealist writing as a way to help readers get the most out of my works.
When reading, keep these in mind:
1
Freeform association
A lot my surrealist works rely on mental associations I have between subjects. This allows for a unique connection between concepts and creates a surrealist roadmap in which avid readers will begin to see patterns appear over time. For example, you may notice a strong connection between animals, transformation and costumes throughout my work.
2
Wordplay
Part of the fun of surrealist writing stems from the use of wordplay throughout almost all of my surrealist entries. The use of this method is similar to poetry and could even suggest that my writings are similar to prose poetry in style, since it is sometimes about the sound of the words rather than their meaning. For example: “A Creaky Chairman” plays off the phrases “a creaky chair” and “chairman” to create a unique connection which relies upon linguistic similarity to pull off.
3
Interpretation
One of the reasons I enjoy surrealist writing stems from the fact that each reader sees something different in the works I create. I may attempt to keep certain works ambiguous in meaning as a way to allow readers to include their own interpretations, thus exercising their minds. For example, one person may see transformation as a metaphor for growth, while another sees the transformation as an action sequence and still another suggests connections between the old and new forms of the transformation. It’s all based on what the reader sees, though keep in mind that a consensus of reader interpretation does not mean that particular entry fits their suggestions.
4 (added 2-6-2011)
Rorschach Imagery Test
When you read surrealist works which have strong ambiguity of meaning, in order for the human mind to make sense of the scenario, it will have to draw upon learned associations already in existence. In other words, your experiences from life will change the meaning of what is written. For example, if I write about a character with a giant flower growing out of his back, and you absolutely hate flowers, you will probably not think about his situation in a very positive way. However, if you loved Dr. Seuss, and more specifically Daisy-Head Mayzie, then you might think of the situation as more whimsical than problematic. Knowing this, keep in mind this one important fact about surrealist writing: what you see if not necessarily what I wrote.
5 (added 2-6-2011)
Dreamspeak
Many times in my writing characters will engage each other while using what appear to be strange and nonsensical speech patterns. Here is a good example:
Orion: “Lolo! What time do you want?”
Lola: “I want the cat in the back to be the heart in your chest!”
Orion: “It's unfair how you torment me with your wily and feminine desires!”
Lola: “I'm hoping we can meet together at the milky stars.”
Orion: “Good use.”
(end scene) And the usual response to that from a reader would be:
“…what?” followed by “What are they talking about? Who’s Lolo? What’s an Orion? A cat in your back? What feminine desires? How do you meet someone at the milky stars? Why do stars have milk? What’s ‘Good Use?’ WHY DOES MY HEAD HURT?”
The point of Dreamspeak is to create an atmosphere where normal linguistic association is substituted for more subconscious representation. The harder it is for you to rationalize meaning, the easier it is for your subconscious to pick up the slack and provide unique variations upon everyday themes, such as this strange interaction which could be any number of things.
Hopefully these three guidepoints will help you enjoy surrealism even more.
-Vaperfox
When reading, keep these in mind:
1
Freeform association
A lot my surrealist works rely on mental associations I have between subjects. This allows for a unique connection between concepts and creates a surrealist roadmap in which avid readers will begin to see patterns appear over time. For example, you may notice a strong connection between animals, transformation and costumes throughout my work.
2
Wordplay
Part of the fun of surrealist writing stems from the use of wordplay throughout almost all of my surrealist entries. The use of this method is similar to poetry and could even suggest that my writings are similar to prose poetry in style, since it is sometimes about the sound of the words rather than their meaning. For example: “A Creaky Chairman” plays off the phrases “a creaky chair” and “chairman” to create a unique connection which relies upon linguistic similarity to pull off.
3
Interpretation
One of the reasons I enjoy surrealist writing stems from the fact that each reader sees something different in the works I create. I may attempt to keep certain works ambiguous in meaning as a way to allow readers to include their own interpretations, thus exercising their minds. For example, one person may see transformation as a metaphor for growth, while another sees the transformation as an action sequence and still another suggests connections between the old and new forms of the transformation. It’s all based on what the reader sees, though keep in mind that a consensus of reader interpretation does not mean that particular entry fits their suggestions.
4 (added 2-6-2011)
Rorschach Imagery Test
When you read surrealist works which have strong ambiguity of meaning, in order for the human mind to make sense of the scenario, it will have to draw upon learned associations already in existence. In other words, your experiences from life will change the meaning of what is written. For example, if I write about a character with a giant flower growing out of his back, and you absolutely hate flowers, you will probably not think about his situation in a very positive way. However, if you loved Dr. Seuss, and more specifically Daisy-Head Mayzie, then you might think of the situation as more whimsical than problematic. Knowing this, keep in mind this one important fact about surrealist writing: what you see if not necessarily what I wrote.
5 (added 2-6-2011)
Dreamspeak
Many times in my writing characters will engage each other while using what appear to be strange and nonsensical speech patterns. Here is a good example:
Orion: “Lolo! What time do you want?”
Lola: “I want the cat in the back to be the heart in your chest!”
Orion: “It's unfair how you torment me with your wily and feminine desires!”
Lola: “I'm hoping we can meet together at the milky stars.”
Orion: “Good use.”
(end scene) And the usual response to that from a reader would be:
“…what?” followed by “What are they talking about? Who’s Lolo? What’s an Orion? A cat in your back? What feminine desires? How do you meet someone at the milky stars? Why do stars have milk? What’s ‘Good Use?’ WHY DOES MY HEAD HURT?”
The point of Dreamspeak is to create an atmosphere where normal linguistic association is substituted for more subconscious representation. The harder it is for you to rationalize meaning, the easier it is for your subconscious to pick up the slack and provide unique variations upon everyday themes, such as this strange interaction which could be any number of things.
Hopefully these three guidepoints will help you enjoy surrealism even more.
-Vaperfox
One of the main reasons I wrote this was because I wanted readers to understand that it's okay not to understand. :P Sometimes it's just about the journey rather than the destination.
-Vaperfox