When reading Richter’s poem, End of
the World (1916), I believe I made the most connections to dada and nonsensical
come from how the author creates visual images.
Have you ever seen the fish that
have been standing in front of the
opera in cutaways
for the last two days and nights…?
Ah ah ye great devils – ah ah ye
keepers of the bees and commandants
With a bow wow wow with a boe woe
woe who today does not know
what our Father Homer wrote (pg.
53)
The beginning of the poem starts with the line, “This is
what things have come to in this world…” and the rest depicts different images
that in normality are not seen. The overall contraction in this poem comes from
the fact that it is supposed to detail the world we live in, and in reality,
the poem details very unrealistic occurrences. Dada is the art form of
contradiction or compatibility between opposites. When I was examining this
particular poem, I found myself being able to picture the fish in line and
there actually being keepers of bees. In my mind, these images being
envisioned, do not necessarily make sense, but they are able to be created
which can be the intention the author meant as far as the world coming to
expand their imagination.
Richter
also mentions that Tzara, “could not help furthering the cause of art” and
dedicating it to dada (pg. 54). Incorporating nonsensical imagery and contradictory
meanings influences how the poem falls into nonsensical literature. Looking
closer at the lines in the poem, the author plays with sounds and expressions. The
repetition of sounds like bow, wow and woe in my opinion, created a sense of
babbling and rambling. This portion felt like it did not exactly fit with the
previous messages being written. But, they contributed to the overall theme of what
has happened to the world. There seems to be the connection between gibberish
and rambling and the way we express ourselves now. The author might be trying
to point to the idea that much of what we say can have very little meaning, but
it is perhaps in our thoughts that make the least sense, where true art and
dada can be found.
I agree with Melissa’s comment about how she thinks “connections to dada and the nonsensical come from how the author creates visual images.” When I read this text, I could seriously picture in my mind all of the things the author was describing or writing about.
ReplyDeleteWhat is funny about Andre Breton’s Nadja is that is a surrealist piece of work, but at the same time has some similarities to Dadaism throughout it. While Richter creates visual images through the use of his words and a few images, Breton also uses images to show emotion.
On page 117, Breton chooses to include a drawing in his text. This picture has a lot happening in it at once, such as two hearts combined with four eyes, 2 on each side. Then there is an arrow going down the picture into the open mouth of a snake. There are also words written all around the drawing. These words are phrases such as “L’Enchantement de Nadja.” This drawing is titled, “The Lover’s Flower.” This surrealistic photo mirrors the whimsical and nonsensical notions of Dadaism.
Another similarity between the Dadaist and Surrealist works, is the use of chance and magic.
On page 111 in Breton’s Nadja, it states, “I have taken from Nadja, from the first day to the last, for a free genius, something like one of those spirits of the genius, something like one of those spirits of the air which certain magical practices momentarily permit us to entertain but which we can never overcome.”
In the line, “something like one of those spirits…something like one of those spirits…. magical practices…” chance is definitely apparent. Breton’s use of the word choice, “something like” and “magical” show that nothing is for certain and that there are many possibilities as to what those words could be or what interpretations could come out of them.
In Richter’s poem, “End of the World,” on page 53, Melissa used a quote that perfectly connects the Dadaist and Surrealist works. “With a bow wow wow with a boe woe woe who today does not know what our Father Homer wrote,” parallels the uncertainty and chance in Nadja. The phrase, “who today does not know,” implies uncertainty. Also, the beginning words, “bow wow wow…” have a whimsical effect on the text much like Breton’s use of “spirits” and “magical practices.”
Melissa goes on to talk about how Richter’s piece “created a sense of babbling and rambling.” I absolutely agree with this and I think that Breton’s piece makes use of this also. In many instances in the work, Breton goes on to write Nadja as a sort of character who rambles as well. On pages 85-86, Nadja says, “Why do you want to go away now? What are you afraid of? You think I’m very sick, don’t you? I’m not sick.” This dialogue is a dialogue Nadja is engaging in with herself. She is rambling to herself without even hearing a response from Breton. This is another example of how these two works are connected.
Melissa’s last line really stuck with me as I read her post and as I went on to write my response. “…It is perhaps in our thoughts that make the least sense, where true art and dada can be found.” This really resonates with surrealism as well because when we hear Nadja speak, it is as if we are hearing her inner thoughts of dialogue in the open air, probably the most honest thoughts there are. This idea of the “unfiltered” and “nonsensical” is present in both texts.
Overall, Melissa’s blog post was very well written and I enjoyed reading it.