André Breton’s Nadja was on interesting take on this part of his life that included this relationship. As he told the recollection, I felt as if I was metaphorically holding his hand through the journey of unpacking his encounters with Nadja. I could really feel the tangible distance he had with these memories as he wrote them almost in a dreamlike manner. The first part of the book took several tries to read and some parts I almost gave up on understanding. However, I appreciated his notion of the “chance encounter”. I too can’t help but link random occurrences in my life to others, making connections that serve as a sign that life is trying to teach me a lesson. He always saw little instances such as meeting a women who recites her favourite poem to him. For me I believe this must have been an important instance for him to want to mention in the first place. Additionally I liked his reference to himself as a ghost, it really is emphasised by his writing style. I as the reader can see that he sees himself as almost a background character, letting other take the lime light. I feel this connection also brings back the first page in which he says that who he is a reflection of whom he haunts. I think this is a beautiful analogy as it isn’t necessarily a negative thing to “haunt” someone but rather I see it as the impression we leave with a person is who we are in their mind. Someone from my childhood will never know the person I am now and will always compare me to the person they knew no matter how long in the past it was. Moving on to part two, the detailed almost dream like narrations describing his relationship with Nadja pulled at my attention. The quote that she says in response to his inquiring question of who she is: “I am a soul in limbo”. This quote stopped me to reflect on what she may have meant in that instance. For me it was as if she was describing the uncertainty that is her life as she describes when asked where she will eat lunch she says basically wherever life will take her. I wonder if that is a beautiful life to live or rather a life with no direction and where I would situate myself on the scale of living a life in “limbo”. My question for the class is where do you see yourself if being in a state of limbo was a scale?
Naz, there are two ideas that stand out in your blog: one is “chance encounter” and the other is “chased.” The juxtaposition of the two can be fascinating, especially in the experimental style of surrealism. I don’t know if you agree with me, but there seem to be some less obvious layers to this book (a not-novel novel?) that are very suggestive, especially if we read it with “floating attention,” as psychoanalysts say.
Hi Naz, I totally relate to your struggle with the first part of the book, it took me a few attempts as well, and there were moments I had to read over and over again to truly comprehend what he was trying to say. He also would mention many many names of artists and people who he had encountered which became hard to keep track of. Furthermore, the way Breton refers himself to as a ghost is a powerful and almost sad metaphor that resonated with me too. It’s like people are unable to recognize him fully as a person and likewise he is not able to fully recognize himself.