Analysis Of Andre Breton's 'Nadja'

Nadja by Andre Breton writes about his experiences in Paris, what he values about the city, the artists, writers and the woman who he briefly had a relationship with, Nadja. Breton introduces the book with a question to himself, “who am I?” considering this, he continues to describe himself with ghostly undertones, to illustrate his past self and present self in the hopes that he discovers the purpose of his existence. Andre Breton is interested in cities like Paris as the city causes him to question the challenges of identity, through how time changes the self and how small aspects create the self. Andre Breton finds himself questioning his identity, and who he “haunts” similarly to the ghostly imagery that he portrays of Paris. “My image of the “ghost”, including everything conventional about its appearance as well as its blind submission to certain contingencies of time and place…”(Breton, 12). Considering this Breton is interested in the eternal echo of the past found in present time, in particular he explains how the past experiences reflect to who we become in present day. Paris has countless places that brings connection from the past to the present, Breton mentions how the “statue of Etienne Dolet on its plinth in the Place Maubert in Paris” fascinates him and makes him feel a sense of discomfort, as the statue represents a ghostly figure from the past which still remains in the same way Breton questions who does he haunt. With regards to the past and