Dr. Jon Beasley starts the video lecture about how this book is neither an autobiography nor a novel. So going into Nadja, I wasn’t expecting much because I thought it’d be a boring book. However, the twists and turns of this story between Nadja and Breton had so much ‘madness,’ to say the least. There were a lot of art, portraits of inspirational surrealist artists, and pictures of certain places where the romance between Nadja and Breton intensified. I enjoyed that the book did not read like a novel because the mixture of forms of storytelling helped me to try to understand the era of the book (pre-WW1). A general idea I took away from the book is how women are perceived in it. That is something people rarely think about. The whole idea that women are this idea, concept, and feeling is overly emphasized in this book. Nadja was probably made to be the protagonist, but I don’t think she was even considered a being, let alone the main character. Breton is probably the main character. A lot of the book is Breton just being so selfish! While Nadja is suffering mentally, thinking that ‘pure’/true love would mean dying with each other, and there were other things (worse) that she had thought about. I’m sure the two book reviews explained that as well.
Once reading the book, I surprisingly saw how Breton’s actions were conveying surrealism, specifically regarding women. Surrealism is explained as this idea that beauty is madness and that there’s Madness in Beauty. To link that thought, often women are depicted as having this access or teleport for a man to go into a beautiful world or a hectic one. Nadja is his muse/access, that led to the creation of the book. However, in the book, Nadja also gets blamed for how Breton himself goes ‘crazy’ because of her bad mental state. In all honesty, I think Breton was crazy to begin with. The fact that he went out of his way to throw away his prior wife, for an affair with Nadja, is wild.
I read this book at first, thinking about how insane Nadja was for sticking around for Breton. Why on earth would you accept such love from a man that borderline fetishizes “your eyes that had sadness,” the crappy clothes you once wore (when she just met him), and your horrible mental state. Until… I realized how common it is, even in today’s world. There was a part in the book where Nadja said something along the lines of “you’re going to be writing a book about me.” See that there, for many women is like the pinnacle of being the muse, the only girl that will seemingly alter this man’s life, and someone he will never forget. It’s what the majority of women die (not literally haha) for. A man giving her attention, but I think what went wrong is the intention. The attention that was given to Nadja I feel compelled her to feel loved, but Breton’s intention in my perspective was him seeing Nadja as an opportunity to take advantage of her mind for simply writing a book. This situation happens in various forms for women even in 2024, just maybe not for a book… maybe in the music industry haha. There’s so much to discuss in this book, but I think this is one of the crazy stories in Nadja.
Do you think Breton took advantage of Nadja? Did their relationship ever have mutual love for each other, or was it one sided?
Hi Adia! I also noticed that the way Breton described Nadja and the other women he encountered was in very odd and fetishizing way. I think Breton and Nadja’s relationship did have mutual love for each other in the early stages, but Breton may have realized in the latter part of their relationship that he could take advantage of her for his own success. I also really appreciated your mentioning of how situations like these still happen today, illustrating the relevance of texts and book themes from decades ago.
Never thought of the aspect of “falling out of love.” That would totally make sense too.
Ha! Do you think a woman would be likely to read this book differently than would a male reader?
100%. Most of my comments here are from woman (from what I can tell) who can probably speak similarly for the relationship between Nadja and Breton. They all seem to see the same thing I did whist reading the book. Maybe male reader’s who are aware of the social circumstances for women, and those who have insider scoop as to how women think, may read the book similar to most women.
Hi! I read “Mad Toy” rather than Nadja, but I really enjoyed your perspective on this book – I feel like it captured the essence of the writing style and the themes of madness. It definitely seems like an engaging read, and it’s interesting to see the connotations it has for today’s day and age, even though it was written a long time ago! Maia D.
Wondering if ‘Mad Toy’ had any similarities with ‘Nadja’
Hello! I love your perspective on the relationship between Nadja and Breton. I also touched on their relationship briefly in my blog, and I totally agree that their relationship was concerning, especially in how Breton treats her. One thing that really sticks out to me is how Breton constantly describes how much power he has over her. Lastly, to touch on your discussion question, I do think Breton loved Nadja in his own twisted way.
Breton is surely showing how messed up he is, in his own book. Kind of funny.
Hi Adia! I was basically thinking the entire book “wow if I was her I would run for it” because the way he precieves her is a little diturbing to me. I also thought he was a little mad himself to begin with. I really enjoyed reading your point of view on this
Thank you for enjoying the blog! For sure, I had the same thought because of Breton’s charm. Kind of scary haha.
Hi Adia,
I found your blog post quite interesting and can relate to you on the aspect of the novel not reading like one. I enjoyed the visuals that were added as they allowed for greater engagement and more context. The novel did have some unexpected turns which added to the madness of the story. I think this made the book more intriguing and fun to read.