Summary of Jean Cocteau “The Process of
Inspiration”
Jean Cocteau starts his essay by
asserting the source of inspiration is not divine (79). Instead, Cocteau writes that inspiration results
from inactivity and the incapacity for people to “put to work certain forces in
ourselves” (79). He describes that the
unknown forces are deep within us, they form regardless of people’s desires,
and when ready, they demand to be born (79).
Cocteau understands the association of mysteriousness with inspiration, its
internal workings, and how the birth of inspiration becomes compulsive to the
artist and demands to be expressed (79). Cocteau’s notions on divinity are reflective
of the mysterious nature of creativity and how someone can confuse it with
divine interaction.
Though not direct, Cocteau uses
numerous references to slumbering, drowsiness, and dream when referring to a
state of mind pertaining to inspiration (79-80). He writes, “By a thousand ruses, he [the
artist] prevents his nocturnal work from coming to the light of day” (79). He also makes reference to somnolence that
is akin to a state of near sleep.
Cocteau is suggesting that the inner forces and everyday life, in
conjunction with the near slumbering state, is conducive to inspiration.
Cocteau suggests the artist is at
the “whim of his unconscious dream state,” and that the artist needs to clean
house to receive the inspired thoughts (80).
This notion suggests that inspiration strikes on its own terms and that
the artist needs to have a certain clarity of mind to receive it.
Works Cited
Cocteau, Jean. “The Process of
Inspiration.” The Creative Process: A Symposium. Ed. Brewster Ghislen. Berkeley: University of
California Press. 1985. 79-80. Print.
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