Juxtaposition in Surrealism
One of the defining stylistic characteristics of Surrealism is the juxtaposition of imagery. The Surrealists like to put together crazy things that we wouldn't normally associate with one another. They might compare a head to a shoe, or a door to a snake, or a cup to a tree.
The juxtaposition of elements or images that might not seem to have much to do with one another on the surface is a way that the Surrealists tried to get their readers to make new connections, and to see things in a different light. It's also one of the key techniques that the Surrealists used in their writing.
Chew On This
Robert Desnos' poem "The Zebra" juxtaposes a zebra's dark stripes with prison bars.
We'll find some serious juxtaposition going on in the poem "The Landscape." Robert Desnos compares love to a "flint sparking under my feet at night." Delve into the poem here.