[Posted by NATHAN] Why is Breton so fascinated with Nadja, and how is this different from the way that others perceive her? Does her insanity affect her negatively or does it provide new insight and a different perspective on life?
I think that Breton is fascinated with Nadja because she has such a different perspective on life, and he is drawn in by that strangeness. It's very different from the traditionally held views, but that is what he likes about it. It seems like others are able to see the strangeness of Nadja more clearly than Breton can (most likely because he is blinded by love) and because of the differences between her viewpoint and theirs, these other people see her in a negative light. I think that her insanity does affect her negatively, because eventually when Breton realizes how unstable she is, their relationship breaks apart and fades away. However, it seems like she might get some sort of gain from having such a unique perspective on the world. Therefore, I would say that her insanity affects her relationships with other people negatively but it contributes positively to her overall experience of life because of the different insight that it provides.
I think Breton is so intrigued by Nadja because of her existence outside of the norm. At the very beginning of the work Breton asks, "Who am I," and I think Nadja is someone who not only enhances that question for himself, but also makes him question that for others as well. Her different approach to life makes his own individuality more prevalent to him, and I think that contributes to how he is not as aware of her madness. He is blinded by his love for her, but there is also the fact that within Nadja he finds things about himself that answer the question of "who am I" that depart him from her social differences. However, regardless of his interest in her I think her madness does impact her negatively because while without knowing about it before he is intrigued by it, once he learns that she is committed, their relationship is torn apart. Therefore, while without knowing of her insanity, her relationship with other people are not impact, but when people do know, which more often than not is the case, her relationships, and herself suffer.
While I think Nadja’s unique perspective on things draws Breton to her, I think it is more Nadja’s willingness to talk about it in the first place. Nadja is perhaps the most detailed source on the mind’s inner workings that Breton has ever encountered in person. I had noticed in the book that she explains to Breton in great detail about her family, her health, her daily activities, and even her habits such as telling silly stories to herself. Breton has most likely never encountered someone as articulate or blunt about their own character and it makes Nadja an intriguing subject to him.
I think the revelation that Nadja is insane harms Breton’s opinion of her. Earlier in the book, Breton states that he prefers “books left, ajar”, in other words, he would rather not having everything revealed to him. Part of the fun for Breton would be to figuring out the mind himself. Knowing Nadja’s inner workings is the result of her insanity spoils that fun and it makes his fascination with Nadja rather anti-climactic and disappointing. By the end of the story, he could not stand Nadja’s ramblings any more and grew tired of them. In fact, he may think that Nadja has revealed too much about her character to him. Combined with the knowledge that she is insane, Nadja loses much of her appeal to Breton. I do wonder if that does give him a new perspective on life at the same time. He likes to think the mind is a puzzle for him to unravel but finding out that Nadja is insane might make him think that it is not always that complicated or intriguing.
I think that Breton is fascinated with Nadja because she has such a different perspective on life, and he is drawn in by that strangeness. It's very different from the traditionally held views, but that is what he likes about it. It seems like others are able to see the strangeness of Nadja more clearly than Breton can (most likely because he is blinded by love) and because of the differences between her viewpoint and theirs, these other people see her in a negative light. I think that her insanity does affect her negatively, because eventually when Breton realizes how unstable she is, their relationship breaks apart and fades away. However, it seems like she might get some sort of gain from having such a unique perspective on the world. Therefore, I would say that her insanity affects her relationships with other people negatively but it contributes positively to her overall experience of life because of the different insight that it provides.
ReplyDeleteI think Breton is so intrigued by Nadja because of her existence outside of the norm. At the very beginning of the work Breton asks, "Who am I," and I think Nadja is someone who not only enhances that question for himself, but also makes him question that for others as well. Her different approach to life makes his own individuality more prevalent to him, and I think that contributes to how he is not as aware of her madness. He is blinded by his love for her, but there is also the fact that within Nadja he finds things about himself that answer the question of "who am I" that depart him from her social differences. However, regardless of his interest in her I think her madness does impact her negatively because while without knowing about it before he is intrigued by it, once he learns that she is committed, their relationship is torn apart. Therefore, while without knowing of her insanity, her relationship with other people are not impact, but when people do know, which more often than not is the case, her relationships, and herself suffer.
ReplyDeleteWhile I think Nadja’s unique perspective on things draws Breton to her, I think it is more Nadja’s willingness to talk about it in the first place. Nadja is perhaps the most detailed source on the mind’s inner workings that Breton has ever encountered in person. I had noticed in the book that she explains to Breton in great detail about her family, her health, her daily activities, and even her habits such as telling silly stories to herself. Breton has most likely never encountered someone as articulate or blunt about their own character and it makes Nadja an intriguing subject to him.
ReplyDeleteI think the revelation that Nadja is insane harms Breton’s opinion of her. Earlier in the book, Breton states that he prefers “books left, ajar”, in other words, he would rather not having everything revealed to him. Part of the fun for Breton would be to figuring out the mind himself. Knowing Nadja’s inner workings is the result of her insanity spoils that fun and it makes his fascination with Nadja rather anti-climactic and disappointing. By the end of the story, he could not stand Nadja’s ramblings any more and grew tired of them. In fact, he may think that Nadja has revealed too much about her character to him. Combined with the knowledge that she is insane, Nadja loses much of her appeal to Breton. I do wonder if that does give him a new perspective on life at the same time. He likes to think the mind is a puzzle for him to unravel but finding out that Nadja is insane might make him think that it is not always that complicated or intriguing.