Treatise from Narcissus
Treatise on Narcissus - Theory of Symbols ( French Le Traité du Narcisse - Théorie du symbole ) is a symbolist program by André Gide , which appeared in 1891.
content
- 1
Narcissus dreams of paradise, the - but limited - garden of ideas. Paradise is understood as a timeless area - "perfect like a number" and pervaded by strange harmonies: "A steady symphony" hovers over paradise. Adam - the as yet unmoved inhabitant of Paradise - listens to the "perfect chords".
- 2
Although paradise was defined above as a garden without a past and future, Narcissus constantly recreates this area under his poet's gaze. Looking into the flow of time, he crystallizes the things flowing by, creates calm.
- 3
Narcissus creates works of art, parts of paradise, incarnations of an idea. Insofar as it is a matter of linguistic works of art, these are rhythmic, blameless and built from proud words. In such crystalline works the idea “slowly comes to rest”.
reception
- Krebber examines the treatise in a little more detail. Gide dealt with two points - the “definition of the work of art” and the “moral of the poet”. He enriched the ancient narcissus material "with Christian motifs". Gide conceives the work of art "as a restoration of ... paradisiacal perfection". Gide understands “the work of art as a spiritual unity” “from the presented idea” to “poetic expression - as overcoming an appearance in favor of a being .” The attitude of Narcissus, bent over the course of time, remains “serious and solemn” overall.
- Lang reads from Gide's treatise “A tendency towards the dreamily emanating”.
- Gide interprets Narcissus as a symbol of the poet.
- Martin briefly highlights a few eye-catching connections in the text to “ The Books of André Walter ” .
- With Gide, Narcissus is a symbolist poet who, bent dreamily over his reflection, wants to fathom his own soul.
- It is only through Narcissus' gaze that things are animated. Before that, they lead a shadowy existence.
German editions
- source
- Raimund Theis (Hrsg.), Peter Schnyder (Hrsg.): André Gide: treatise from Narcissus - theory of the symbol . Translated from the French by Christiane Brockerhoff. Pp. 155-167. The basis of the translation was an edition of the Editions Gallimard / Paris from 1912. With an afterword by Marianne Kesting : “On Narcissus ' treatise . Pp. 521-527. Collected works in twelve volumes. Volume VII / 1, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt Stuttgart 1991. 587 pages, ISBN 3-421-06467-9
- Secondary literature
- Renée Lang: André Gide and the German spirit (French: André Gide et la Pensée Allemande ). Translation: Friedrich Hagen . Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt Stuttgart 1953. 266 pages
- Günter Krebber: Studies on the aesthetics and criticism of André Gides . Cologne Romanistic works. New episode. Issue 13. Geneva and Paris 1959. 171 pages
- Claude Martin: André Gide . Translated from the French by Ingeborg Esterer. Rowohlt 1963 (July 1987 edition). 176 pages, ISBN 3-499-50089-2
- Ralf Konersmann : The world's unrest. Frankfurt a. M. 2015. pp. 46-65, ISBN 978-3-10-038300-6