Nadja – Are you okay?

When I was reading the Breton, I found that I could more easily catch on to the story than when I was reading the Proust. However, there were still times when I was confused as to what was going on. My initial thoughts after reading was a curiosity as to Breton’s relationship with Nadja. Clearly they had some sort of romantic connection but near the end on page 142 it states, “She was also alone: ‘At times, it is terrible to be so alone. I have no friends but you.” This makes me wonder who Nadja came to be in terms of his relationships. Did they become friends? Did his wife know about his affair? Were they just trying to provide care to someone who may have ‘gone mad’?

What I also thought was confusing was what the first 50 or so pages were about. It kind of follows Breton’s thoughts and we read about a play that he sees but I didn’t quite understand it. Maybe I need to go back and re-read what is happening.  I did like how it was written like a journal. You get to see the thoughts of Breton and I think he evoked feelings in a similar descriptive way that Proust did. It creates a sort of atmosphere and ambiance of what they want you to feel or experience.

I thought it was interesting how Breton brings up the issues of psychiatry and the reasoning behind the end of his pursuit of her. When he brought up that he shouldn’t see her anymore rather than couldn’t, it felt very powerful as a realization. It is difficult to stop seeing someone in your life despite your love or in his case, infatuation towards them. After Breton got to know Nadja better, she made less and less sense in her actions and her words. He constantly had to reassure her and keep her grounded. After he stops seeing Nadja, Breton states he has “pessimism as to her fate,” on page 141 which leads to his views on psychiatry.

One thing I really enjoyed was the images in the book, especially the drawings that Nadja drew. I think it brought in a sense of what may have been going on in her mind and seeing how disjointed and random her thoughts were. It was an interesting insight into her as a person.

This book reminds me of Tchaikovsky’s Francesca da Rimini Opera. Although the story is slightly darker, it is also about infidelity and has a beauty but intense feel to it.

Finally my question for this book is, What kind of feelings were evoked in this book for you? Were they positive or negative?