This volume presents an introduction to surrealism. The lively young artists of the Surrealist Movement shocked Paris in the 1920s with the first strong statement of many tendencies that still drive the avant-garde today. They centered art in the artist's identity while including spectators in the act of creation; denied distinctions between life and art, sense and nonsense; and conceived not only drama and film, but also painting, poetry, and music as theatrical performance. Surrealist works feature the element of surprise, unexpected juxtapositions and non sequitur; however, many Surrealist artists and writers regard their work as an expression of the philosophical movement first and foremost, with the works being an artifact. Surrealist theater depicts the subconscious experience, moody tone and disjointed structure, sometimes imposing a unifying idea.