Women, Surrealism, and Jungian Psychology Confrontations with the Unconscious

This unique and innovative book examines the relationship between the interdisciplinary movements of surrealism and Analytical Psychology, and the women who participated in each. Whilst many scholars have studied analytical psychology and surrealism as separate phenomena, few have explored these movements in relation to each other throughout the first half of the 20th Century, yet they share similarities in the ways in which they draw upon the reality of the unconscious and the psychological role of gender and romantic love in human life. Drawing upon the works of C. G. Jung and Andre Breton, chapters compare and contrast the social and theoretical evolution of these spheres of thought, alongside exploring the works of the influential surrealist artists Lee Miller and Suzanne Cesaire. It strives to interpret the participation of women in the surrealist movement through the lens of Jung’s Anima/Animus theory, an innovative hypothesis of psychological compensation. Providing a groundbreaking analysis of these two leading movements, this book will be essential reading for scholars and students of analytical psychology, art history, and gender studies. It will also appeal to analytical psychologists, psychotherapists and readers who are interested in the intersection of analytical psychology and contemporary culture.