Background
Conley, Katharine was born on August 10, 1956 in Washington, District of Columbia, United States. Daughter of James Daniel and Jane (Harris) Conley.
( Contemporary feminist critics have often described Surr...)
Contemporary feminist critics have often described Surrealism as a misogynist movement. In Automatic Woman, Katharine Conley addresses this issue, confirming some feminist allegations while qualifying and overturning others. Through insightful analyses of works by a range of writers and artists, Conley develops a complex view of Surrealist portrayals of Woman. Conley begins with a discussion of the composite image of Woman developed by such early male Surrealists as André Breton, Francis Picabia, and Paul Eluard. She labels that image “Automatic Woman”—a term that comprises views of Woman as provocative and revolutionary but also as a depersonalized object largely devoid of individuality and volition. This analysis largely confirms feminist critiques of Surrealism. The heart of the book, however, examines the writings of Leonora Carrington and Unica Zürn, two women in the Surrealist movement whose works, Conley argues, anticipate much contemporary feminist art and theory. In concluding, Conley shows how Breton’s own views on women evolved in the course of his long career, arriving at last at a position far more congenial to contemporary feminists. Automatic Woman is distinguished by Katharine Conley’s judicious understanding of how women—and the image of Woman—figured in Surrealism. The book is an important contemporary account of a cultural movement that continues to fascinate, influence, and provoke us.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0803218427/?tag=2022091-20
( In this critical biography of Robert Desnos (1900–1945)...)
In this critical biography of Robert Desnos (1900–1945), Katharine Conley reevaluates the surrealist movement through the life and works of one of its founders. Desnos was as famous among the surrealists for his independence of mind as for his elaborate “automatic” drawings and his brilliant oral and written performances during the incubational period of the group. He stayed with the official surrealist movement in Paris for only six years but was pivotal during that time in shaping the surrealist notion of “transforming the world” through radical experiments with language and art. After leaving the group, Desnos continued his career of radio broadcasting and writing for commercials. Though no longer part of the official movement, he remained committed to his own version of popular surrealism: Desnosian surrealism and the search for the “marvelous” in everyday life. Near the end of World War II he was deported and imprisoned for his work in the French Resistance and died at the newly liberated camp of Terezin in Czechoslovakia. Reports from within the camp indicate that Desnos took with him into Terezin his most deeply held surrealist beliefs.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0803218419/?tag=2022091-20
literature and language educator
Conley, Katharine was born on August 10, 1956 in Washington, District of Columbia, United States. Daughter of James Daniel and Jane (Harris) Conley.
Bachelor, Harvard University, 1979. Master of Arts, University Colorado, 1988. Doctor of Philosophy, University Pennsylvania, 1992.
Assistant editor Old-House Journal, Brooklyn, New York, 1980-1981. Associate editor Victorian Homes magazine, 1981-1983. Assistant production manager Shambhala Publications, Boulder, Colorado, 1983-1985, Westview Press, Boulder, 1985-1986.
Professor French, associate dean for humanities Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, since 1992, chairman department French and Italian, 2005—2006.
( In this critical biography of Robert Desnos (1900–1945)...)
( Contemporary feminist critics have often described Surr...)
Member American Association Teachers French, American Council Québec Studies, Women in French, Modern Language Association.
Married Richard Stamelman, September, 1997.