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3.37 AVERAGE
3.37 AVERAGE
I really enjoyed this - I found it funny and clever. Reading the introduction first gave me a better background for the text so I could pick more out from it.
'Since you exist, as you alone know how to exist, it was perhaps not so necessary that this book should exist. I have decided to write it nevertheless, in memory of the conclusion I wanted to give it before knowing you and which your explosion into my life has not rendered vain.'
I've never read anything like this before. Breton combines the anecdotal and imaginative to create a text that has came to define Surrealism as a movement, although it is usually associated with art in the more traditional sense. Nadja breaks tradition in more ways than one - it is an atypical novel. The prose sways between different styles, whether it is diary entries or philosophical musings. It's difficult to tell whether Breton is talking to Nadja, to you, or to himself, leading me to feel disconnected but in a way I strangely appreciated. It is also quite disjointed and broken up by pictures and illustrations - I'm not sure if these enriched or detracted from my reading experience, but it certainly made me wonder how much of this was fictional or auto-biographical.
Overall, I'm not actually sure if I enjoyed this book, but it's certainly sparked a lot of thought, which I think was its intention. But who am I to say?
I've never read anything like this before. Breton combines the anecdotal and imaginative to create a text that has came to define Surrealism as a movement, although it is usually associated with art in the more traditional sense. Nadja breaks tradition in more ways than one - it is an atypical novel. The prose sways between different styles, whether it is diary entries or philosophical musings. It's difficult to tell whether Breton is talking to Nadja, to you, or to himself, leading me to feel disconnected but in a way I strangely appreciated. It is also quite disjointed and broken up by pictures and illustrations - I'm not sure if these enriched or detracted from my reading experience, but it certainly made me wonder how much of this was fictional or auto-biographical.
Overall, I'm not actually sure if I enjoyed this book, but it's certainly sparked a lot of thought, which I think was its intention. But who am I to say?
I think I might be in love with Breton's writing. Or maybe it's the translation. But I did love Nadja, very much! It's hard to explain why, with surrealists you never know what it is really that speaks to you.
dark
reflective
sad
tense
What Nadja basically showed me was that Surrealism is a boys' club with a sign outside the door that says 'Women Not Welcome.' The intriguing character of Nadja gets lost in Breton's ego. He uses this young woman for his own selfish purposes and then tosses her aside when he's done with her.
She gets sent to a sanatorium and he doesn't even bother visiting or helping her because (this is a good one...) he doesn't agree with how society treats people deemed insane. It sounds like a lame excuse to me and, let's not forget, Breton had a wife he could run to once he was done with poor Nadja.
Yeah, yeah. I get it. André Breton is one of the founding fathers of surrealism. And, of course, Nadja shouldn't be seen as a woman but as a symbol for the Surrealist Movement. I've heard this all before but I also read this novel and I honestly don't get the same impression. Also, why is this novel referred to as a Surrealist love story?? This is not a love story unless you mean Breton being in love with himself and his movement.
She gets sent to a sanatorium and he doesn't even bother visiting or helping her because (this is a good one...) he doesn't agree with how society treats people deemed insane. It sounds like a lame excuse to me and, let's not forget, Breton had a wife he could run to once he was done with poor Nadja.
Yeah, yeah. I get it. André Breton is one of the founding fathers of surrealism. And, of course, Nadja shouldn't be seen as a woman but as a symbol for the Surrealist Movement. I've heard this all before but I also read this novel and I honestly don't get the same impression. Also, why is this novel referred to as a Surrealist love story?? This is not a love story unless you mean Breton being in love with himself and his movement.
2.5
Although I am extremely interested in the Surrealist movement and everything it stands for, I found it extremely hard to overlook Breton’s massive ego (sorry) and the fetishising of his fantasy image of Nadja. This is the OG Manic Pixie Dream Girl.
Although I am extremely interested in the Surrealist movement and everything it stands for, I found it extremely hard to overlook Breton’s massive ego (sorry) and the fetishising of his fantasy image of Nadja. This is the OG Manic Pixie Dream Girl.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced