The Similarities and Differences between Surrealism and Mysticism

The existence of some common factors in mysticism and surrealism led some to argue for the similarity of mysticism and surrealism. The similarities include the theopathetic statements of mystics and the automatic writings of the surrealists, unconsciousness about self in the moments mystical ecstasy and annihilation, search for salvation in higher-than-normal conditions of self and life and in the moments of trance and illumination, a kind of antirationality, emphasis on imagination, trying to break the shackles and chains of self, striving to change one’s perception of the world, emphasizing love and seeking reality beyond and within the apparent reality through trance, illumination and cherishing insanity, and attaining meaning and truth. But the differences between the two are profound and fundamental, and the similarities are mainly in methods, claims and the effects, albeit in a very different context. The similarities have drawn scholars to comparisons, whereas there are profound differences both in the destination and the path, and in the man’s conception of himself and the underlying layers of his being.