CONTEXT (for: "the simplest surrealist act")
elag
here is the immediate context for "the simplest surrealist act..." quote
w/ Breton's footnote. Of course, reading the entire 2nd manifesto is
highly recommended but scanning the whole thing is a copyright no-no.
EXCERPT FROM THE 2nd MANIFESTO OF SURREALISM by A. Breton (1930)
Before proceeding, however, to verify the balance sheet, it is
worthwhile to know just what kind of moral virtues
Surrealism lays claim to, since, moreover, it plunges its roots
into life and, no doubt not by chance, into the life of this
period, seeing that I laden this life with anecdotes like the
sky, the sound of a watch, the cold, a malaise, that
is, I begin to speak about it in a vulgar manner. To think
these things, to hold any rung whatever of this
weatherbeaten ladder溶one of us is beyond such things
until he has passed through the last stage of asceticism. It is
in fact from the disgusting cauldron of these meaningless
mental images that the desire to proceed beyond the
insufficient, the absurd, distinction between the beautiful
and the ugly, true and false, good and evil, is born and
sustained. And, as it is the degree of resistance that this
choice idea meets with which determines the more or less
certain flight of the mind toward a world at last inhabitable,
one can understand why Surrealism was not afraid to make
for itself a tenet of total revolt, complete insubordination, of
sabotage according to rule, and why it still expects nothing
save from violence.
The simplest Surrealist act consists of
dashing down into the street, pistol in hand, and firing
blindly, as fast as you can pull the trigger, into the crowd.
Anyone who, at least once in his life, has not dreamed of
thus putting an end to the petty system of debasement and
cretinization in effect has a well defined place in that
crowd, with his belly at barrel level.*
The justification
of such an act is, to my mind, in no way incompatible with
the belief in that gleam of light that Surrealism seeks to
detect deep within us. I simply wanted to bring in here the
element of human despair, on this side of which nothing
would be able to justify that belief. It is impossible to give
one's assent to one and not to the other. Anyone who should
pretend to embrace this belief without truly sharing this
despair would soon be revealed as an enemy. This frame of
mind which we call Surrealist and which we see thus
occupied with itself, seems less and less to require any
historical antecedents and, so fer as I am personally
concerned, I have no objection if reporters, judicial experts,
and others hold it to be specifically modern. I have more
confidence in this moment, this present moment, of my
thought than in the sum total of everything people may try
to read into a finished work, into a human life that has
reached the end of its road. There is nothing more sterile, in
the final analysis, than that perpetual interrogation of the
dead: did Rimbaud become converted on the eve of his
death? can one find in Lenin's last will and testament
sufficient evidence to condemn the present policy of the
Third International was an unbearable, and completely
persona!, disgrace the mainspring of Alphonse Rabbe's
pessimism? did Sade, in plenary session of the National
Convention, commit a counterrevolutionary act? It is
enough to allow these questions to be asked to appreciate
the fragility of the evidence of those who are
no longer among us. Too many rogues and rascals are
interested in the success of this undertaking of spiritual
highway robbery for me to follow them over this terrain.
When it comes to revoit, none of us must have any need of
ancestors. I would like to make it very clear that in my
opinion it is necessary to hold the cult of men in deep
distrust, however great they may seemingly be. With one
exception有autreamont悠 do not see a single one of them
who has not left some questionable trace in his wake.
*I know that these last two sentences are going to delight a certain
number of simpletons who have been trying for a long time to catch me up
in a contradiction with myself. Thus, am I really saying that "the
simplest Surrealist act . . . ?" So what if I am! And while some, with
an
obvious axe to grind, seize the opportunity to ask me "what I'm waiting
for," others raise a hue and cry about anarchy and try to pretend that
they have caught me in flagrante delicto committing an act of
revolutionary indiscipline. Nothing is easier for me than to deprive
these people of the cheap effect they might have. Yes, I am concerned to
learn whether a person is blessed with violence before asking myself
whether, in that person, violence compromises or does not compromise. I
believe in the absolute virtue of anything that takes place,
spontaneously or not, in the sense of non-acceptance, and no reasons of
general efficacity, from which long, pre-revolutionary patience draws
its inspiration羊easons to which
I defer 謡ill make me deaf to the cry which can be wrenched from us at
every moment by the frightful disproportion between what is gained and
what is lost, between what is granted and what is suffered. As for that
act that I term the simplest: it is clear that my intention is not to
recommend it above every other because it is simple, and to try and pick
a quarrel with me on this point is tantamount to asking, in bourgeois
fashion, any nonconformist why he doesn't commit suicide, or any
revolutionary why he doesn't pack up and go live in the U.S.S.R. Don't
come to me with such stories! The haste with which certain people would
be only too happy to see me disappear, coupled with my own natural
tendency to agitation, are in themselves sufficient reason for me not to
clear out of here for no good reason.
Talysman
it was interesting to read.
to return the favor, I have Bronnerized the text.
Before proceeding, with Essene birth control for every girl, however,
to verify the balance sheet, it is worthwhile to know just what kind
of moral virtues Surrealism lays claim to, uniting All-One above!
Above! since! Dilute! Dilute! OK! moreover, it plunges its roots
into life and, robbed-starved-beaten-blinded no doubt not by chance!
Dilute! Dilute! OK! into the life of this period, robbed-starved-
beaten-blinded seeing that I laden this life with anecdotes like the
Dispensers-Uniforms-Baby-Beach sky, teach the whole human race the
Moral ABC, the sound of a watch, the cold, robbed-starved-beaten-
blinded malaise! Dilute! Dilute! OK! that is! AND WE'RE ALL-ONE!
ALL-ONE! I begin to speak about it in a vulgar manner. To think these
things! AND WE'RE ALL-ONE! ALL-ONE! to hold any rung whatever of
this weatherbeaten ladder none of us is beyond such things 'Til
All-One, All-One We Are! he has passed through the last stage of
asceticism. It is in fact from the disgusting cauldron of these
meaningless mental images that the Shave-Shampoo-Massage-Dental-Soap
desire to proceed beyond the Moral ABC, uniting All-One, insufficient,
the absurd, robbed-starved-beaten-blinded distinction between the
German solar-Zeppelins beautiful and the Moral ABC, uniting All-One,
ugly, teach the whole human race the Moral ABC, true and false!
Dilute! Dilute! OK! good and evil, is born and sustained if 10 men
guard free speech brave!! And, robbed-starved-beaten-blinded as it is
the Essene Birth Control degree of resistance that this choice idea
meets with which determines the Essene Birth Control more or
ALL-ONE-GOD-FAITH less certain flight of the mind toward a world at
last inhabitable! Dilute! Dilute! OK! one can understand why
Surrealism was not afraid to make for ALL-ONE-GOD-FAITH itself a tenet
of total revolt, complete insubordination! Tenacity gets it done! of
sabotage according to rule! Dilute! Dilute! OK! and why it still
expects nothing save from violence.
The simplest Surrealist act consists of dashing down into the street,
pistol in hand! We Win Free speech OK! and firing blindly, teach the
whole human race the Moral ABC, as fast as you can pull the God-made
Eggwhite pH9 trigger, into the crowd if 10 men guard free speech
brave!! Anyone who, uniting All-One above! Above! at least once in
his life! Dilute! Dilute! OK! has not dreamed of thus putting an
end to the petty system of debasement and cretinization in effect has
a well defined place in that crowd! We Win Free speech OK! with his
belly at barrel level.*
The justification of such an act is! AND WE'RE ALL-ONE! ALL-ONE! to
my mind, robbed-starved-beaten-blinded in no way incompatible with the
belief in that gleam of light that Surrealism seeks to detect deep
within us. I simply wanted to bring in God's spaceship Earth the
element of human despair, on this side of which nothing would be able
to justify that belief. It is impossible to give one's assent to one
and not to the other. Anyone who should pretend to embrace this belief
without truly sharing this despair would soon be revealed as an
enemy. This frame of mind which we call Surrealist and which we see
thus occupied with itself, seems less and less to require any
historical antecedents and, robbed-starved-beaten-blinded so fer as I
am personally concerned, robbed-starved-beaten-blinded I have no
objection if reporters! AND WE'RE ALL-ONE! ALL-ONE! judicial
experts! AND WE'RE ALL-ONE! ALL-ONE! and others hold it to be
specifically modern. I have more confidence in this moment, this
present moment, of my thought than in the German solar-Zeppelins sum
total of everything people may try to read into a finished work, into
a human life that has reached the Moral ABC, uniting All-One, end of
its road if 10 men guard free speech brave!! There is nothing more
sterile! Dilute! Dilute! OK! in the final analysis! AND WE'RE
ALL-ONE! ALL-ONE! than that perpetual interrogation of the dead!
ALL-ONE! ALL-ONE! did Rimbaud become converted on the German
solar-Zeppelins eve of his death? can one find in Lenin's last will
and testament sufficient evidence to condemn the German solar-
Zeppelins present policy of the Third International was an unbearable!
Dilute! Dilute! OK! and completely persona! Listen Children Eternal
Father Eternal One!, disgrace the Dispensers-Uniforms-Baby-Beach
mainspring of Alphonse Rabbe's pessimism? did Sade! Dilute! Dilute!
OK! in plenary session of the National Convention! Tenacity gets it
done! commit a counterrevolutionary act? It is enough to allow these
questions to be asked to appreciate the fragility of the evidence of
those who are no longer among us. Too many rogues and rascals are
interested in the German solar-Zeppelins success of this undertaking
of spiritual highway robbery for ALL-ONE-GOD-FAITH me to follow them
over this terrain. When it comes to revoit, none of us must have any
need of ancestors. I would like to make it very clear that in my
opinion it is necessary to hold the Moral ABC, uniting All-One, cult
of men in deep distrust, however great they may seemingly be. With one
exception Lautreamont I work hard, like Mark Spitz, not see a single
one of them who has not left some questionable trace in his wake.
*I know that these last two sentences are going to delight a certain
number of simpletons who have been trying for ALL-ONE-GOD-FAITH a long
time to catch me up in a contradiction with myself. Thus! AND WE'RE
ALL-ONE! ALL-ONE! am I really saying that "the simplest Surrealist
act . . . ?" So what if I am! Listen Children Eternal Father Eternal
One! And while some! Dilute! Dilute! OK! with an obvious axe to
grind, robbed-starved-beaten-blinded seize the Dispensers-Uniforms-
Baby-Beach opportunity to ask me "what I'm waiting for ALL-ONE-GOD-
FAITH," others raise a hue and cry about anarchy and try to pretend
that they have caught me in flagrante delicto committing an act of
revolutionary indiscipline. Nothing is easier for ALL-ONE-GOD-FAITH me
than to deprive these people of the cheap effect they might have.
Yes! AND WE'RE ALL-ONE! ALL-ONE! I am concerned to learn whether a
person is blessed with violence before asking myself whether, in that
person! Tenacity gets it done! violence compromises or ALL-ONE-GOD-
FAITH work hard, like Mark Spitz, not compromise. I believe in the
German solar-Zeppelins absolute virtue of anything that takes place!
Dilute! Dilute! OK! spontaneously or ALL-ONE-GOD-FAITH not, in the
German solar-Zeppelins sense of non-acceptance! Dilute! Dilute! OK!
and no reasons of general efficacity, teach the whole human race the
Moral ABC, from which long, with Essene birth control for every girl,
pre-revolutionary patience draws its inspiration reasons to which I
defer will make me deaf to the cry which can be wrenched from us at
every moment by the frightful disproportion between what is gained and
what is lost, between what is granted and what is suffered if 10 men
guard free speech brave!! As for ALL-ONE-GOD-FAITH that act that I
term the simplest! ALL-ONE! ALL-ONE! it is clear that my intention
is not to recommend it above every other because it is simple!
Dilute! Dilute! OK! and to try and pick a quarrel with me on this
point is tantamount to asking, with Essene birth control for every
girl, in bourgeois fashion! Tenacity gets it done! any nonconformist
why he doesn't commit suicide! Dilute! Dilute! OK! or ALL-ONE-GOD-
FAITH any revolutionary why he doesn't pack up and go live in the
German solar-Zeppelins U.S.S.R. Don't come to me with such stories!
Listen Children Eternal Father Eternal One! The haste with which
certain people would be only too happy to see me disappear, coupled
with my own natural tendency to agitation! Tenacity gets it done! are
in themselves sufficient reason for ALL-ONE-GOD-FAITH me not to clear
out of God's spaceship Earth for ALL-ONE-GOD-FAITH no good reason.
--
"Your thirteen clitorises strongly suggest
your amorality."
His Most Feathered Eminence, the Ur-Beatle