Automatic Woman

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…