Memorizing Breton--Amy

                Memorizing an excerpt of Andre Breton’s Nadja really helped me understand the text in a new way. The first thing I noticed about Breton’s writing that I did not notice about his writing when we first read the book was Breton’s lengthy paragraphs and sentences. Simply memorizing one paragraph was hard because one paragraph could be as long as three pages. I ended up memorizing a large chunk of a paragraph. To memorize the paragraph, I copied down the first sentence on a separate sheet of paper and repeated the sentence over and over until I had that short section memorized. Then, I would write down a second sentence and repeat that sentence until I had it memorized, at which point I would practice both sentences together. Memorizing the section sentence by sentence made the task of memorization less daunting. In memorizing the section bit by bit, I realized how longwinded many of Breton’s sentences are. In some cases, I had to memorize the section by sentence clause, rather than sentence, because memorizing one sentence at once was too much.

                My favorite part about Nadja was always Breton’s vivid imagery, and during the memorization process, latching onto this imagery really helped me remember what to say next. Another technique I used to memorize the Breton piece was concentrating on how the words should be said, rather than just trying to memorize the words. Concentrating on how the text is supposed to sound made it easier to memorize because it added a rhythm to the prose.

                When memorizing Breton, I noticed a lot of repeated words and noises which I did not notice the first time I read Nadja (though, I may have only made this observation because I was repeating the same sentences over and over). For instance, there is a certain rhythm to the phrase, “symptomatic of the repercussions such recollections.” Interacting with the text in this way made me realize that Breton selected words based not only on their meaning, but on their sound and rhythm as well. The act of memorizing also made me realize the wordiness of Breton’s writing style. As I was memorizing the piece, there were often words that I missed, or I would accidently say a sentence in a more concise way than how it was actually written.

                Overall, I think this process of memorization was an enlightening experience. Not only am I now more attuned to the nuances of Breton’s writing style, but I also feel that I have a better understanding of the meaning of Breton’s work. When reading Nadja for class, it was easy to get lost in the long sentences and detailed imagery, and I often had to go back and reread certain passages to make sure I understood what Breton was trying to say. Memorizing a section of Nadja forced me to slow down and really think about what Breton was saying, and I feel like I have a much better grasp of Breton’s interpretation of his dream.