Section 2 Summary and Analysis

Although with only six pages the shortest section in the book, this section helps to clarify Breton's purpose in Mad Love.

Section 2 opens with two questions posted by Breton and Paul Eluard in the surrealist journal The Minotaur. They are, "What do you consider the essential encounter of your life?" and "To what extent did this encounter seem to you, and, does it seem to you now, to be fortuitous or foreordained?"

Breton remarks that while almost half the questionnaires sent out were returned with responses, and while the responses were largely insufficient, there was enough interesting material there that Breton feels as though there is more to say. He contends that while several of the testimonies seem to provide glimpses into understanding what people think about chance that many of the responses seemed to be disturbed by the very thought...