Write a critical review of Andre Breton’s Nadja (1928) and how it sheds light on his vision of Surrealism, woman and the city of Paris. Illustrate your essay with specific examples.
Initially an essayist and poet, André Breton’s first foray into novel writing came in the form of Nadja, published in 1928. Despite an earlier scorn for this particular literary genre the novel was actually rated much more highly than his poetry. Breton is internationally considered to be the principle figure in the creation of the […]
‘Nadja est une initiatrice’. Discuss the function of Nadja in Breton’s account of his surrealist adventure. Illustrate your essay with specific examples.
Initially an essayist and poet, André Breton’s initial foray into novel writing came in the form of Nadja. Excerpts were first published in the literary magazine “Littérature” in 1926, with full publication in 1928. Despite an earlier scorn by the author for this particular literary genre the novel was actually rated much more highly than […]
To what extent is it helpful to consider 'La Machine Infernale' as a surrealist work of art? Illustrate your essay with specific examples.
Many critics have stated the relationship between Jean Cocteau and artists of surrealist works, such as Pablo Picasso, as having a direct influence on his work. Patrick Mauriès (1998) states that Cocteau was ‘evidently influenced by Picasso, juggling with Surrealist notions of the objet trouvé,’ (p18) However, Cocteau himself, in the introduction to his autobiographical […]
French comic fiction: “food for thought”: The theme of food, drink and feasting in the following 16th/17th century French books: Rabelais’ Gargantua, Cyrano de Bergerac’s Voyage dans la lune and Charles Sorel’s Histoire comique de Francion.
Comic fiction was given a marginal position in French literary history for centuries. However, the ‘histoires comiques’ were brought back into critical focus in the 20th century and new light was thrown on their satirical qualities and unique role as social commentaries. With the theme of food, drink and feasting as a starting point the […]