I surprised myself this week; I found myself actually excited to read “Nadja” by André Breton and I can confidently say it was nothing short of an experience. Perhaps it was the little description left by Prof. Beasley-Murray depicting the book as one with themes of love, desire, and madness that piqued my interest, I am just glad it was piqued at all. My blog post will heavily touch on the purpose of Nadja for the narrator and how his infatuation with her was not so much one of love, but instead one of self-interest and benefit, as she represented something entirely different than just a woman to him. The book starts off with André Breton, the narrator, asking the question, “Who am I?” which held little significance at the start but grew in importance as time went on, as it expressed one of the narrator’s most important characteristics to the story; his search for purpose, identity, and a bit of freedom. When Breton finally meets Nadja, he is immediately drawn to her mysterious, elusive aura, going as far as almost seeing her float instead of walk across the pavement like an angel or something alike. As more of Nadja’s character is revealed, the more we learn how carefree and detached from reality she is. This, for Breton, who is seeking an answer to the very vague and complicated question of “Who am I? and who is trying to outline his purpose in the world and see if freedom and spontaneity fit into it, becomes his obsession as he delves deeper and deeper into his affair with her. As time goes on, it becomes more visible that Nadja’s clear disconnect from reality and preference for telling herself all kinds of stories is concerning and, if not, worsening. Her end comes when she is then put into a psychiatric hospital and Breton is left with only her image and memory, as he does not try to visit her or take her out of it.
Clearly, Breton was searching for entertainment and self-enlightenment in the wrong place. To me, Breton held little care for Nadja and the care he did hold for her was of only self-interest. He did not view her as a woman he loved or a person, but rather the personification of exactly what he was searching for; freedom, spontaneity, and rushes of adrenaline. This could even describe his reason for having an affair as well, as he did not come across as someone who was looking for a settled-down, married-off, home life, but instead a wild, lustful, free life. A question that was raised to me while reading this book was, “Does Breton’s view of Nadja have roots in misogyny and could it possibly be that he romanticized her madness and viewed her as only something her could use to further himself on his self-enlightenment journey?”
“Clearly, Breton was looking for entertainment and self-improvement in the wrong place.” I find this idea very interesting, provocative and we can discuss it in detail. I would only tell you that there is a (thin) line between Breton, the human being who breathed and walked through the streets of Paris, and the narrator of this novel, who is ultimately a fictional entity.
I completely agree that Breton views Nadja as a way of furthering his own interests- she is the representation of everything that fascinates him, and he ultimately values the idea of her much more than her actual human self. I also think the power imbalance between them, given the class difference, also comes into play here. It’s definitely a complex relationship – I have more to say but I’ll save it for class!
It’s funny because when I was watching the lecture after having read the book, the professor mentioned the words, “Who am I?” and its significance; and I had not even ever remembered reading it. So I had to go back, only to find out it was literally the first words, of the first page. To answer your question, I’m not sure if his romanticization of Nadja had to do with misogyny or if he only used her to further himself. The way I read it, it seemed he may have done those things unconsciously, which would not take away the misogynistic potential of him using all women in his life to “discover” himself. It’s a take on his relationship that I had never even considered, and is refreshing to see.