Tzara-Joan Shang

A striking characteristic of Tzara’s work is its contradictory nature. The irrationality and illogicality embedded in the text gives the reader a sense of nonsense. This nonsense extends into the social world as this contradictory aspect parallels the character of the Dadaist movement, itself, in which rules and conventions are defied. Tzara's work demonstrates that Dadaism is an embodiment of an artistic freedom that provokes a reexamination of what art really is.

Throughout Tzara’s work, there is a continued presence of paradox. One of the most striking examples of this was the following quotation:

“I write a manifesto and I want nothing, yet I say certain things, and in principle I am against manifestos, as I am also against principles…I write this manifesto to show that people can perform contrary actions together while taking one fresh gulp of air….” (p. 76).

The contradiction was very apparent as Tzara writes, “I write a manifesto and I want nothing,” yet it seems natural for one to declare a manifesto with an intent or purpose. Thus, writing a manifesto and wanting nothing clashes and destabilizes the meaning of manifesto here. Furthermore, he later states: “I write this manifesto to show that people can perform…” (76). This invalidates his previous statement, in which he declared that he was writing a manifesto for nothing because this phrase illustrates that he is actually doing it for something—illustrating how people performing contrary actions together can take “one fresh gulp of air.”  As I read on, I realized that perhaps the contradictory nature in this phrase was to represent the overall theme of the Dada movement. That is, Dadaism’s contradictory nature. Rather than just telling the readers what the theme of Dada is, Tzara embraces it by performing it through this work.  

Reading on, we see that Tzara writes: “…yet I say certain things and in principle I am against manifestos, and I am also against principles (76).” Once again, the paradoxical nature arises. The author states that he is against manifesto and principles but 1) he is writing a manifesto and 2) he utilizes the world ‘principle’ to extend his opposition against manifestos. In a way, we can view this text’s contradictory nature as nonsense. The illogicality of his statements, mismatched definitions, and the haphazardness witnessed here as well as in other places in Tzara’s work can be viewed as a demonstration of Dadaism. Under the umbrella of Dadaism is the theme of defying conventions and rules, whether it involves expressions of artistry or poetry or more. In doing so, a paradox arise. Is art non-art? Is poetry non-poetry? This same paradox is readily observable in Tzara’s work: is this manifesto a non-manifesto? Is the principle no principle? Through this work, Tzara is able to extend nonsense into the social world by implicating the nature of something beyond the text printed on the page. He provokes us to reexamine the identity of art. That is, what is art? Dadaism as a movement challenges this definition and calls into question what an artwork is in the first place.