The dialectical surrealism of Paul Éluard:

themes and motives in the verses of Poésie ininterrompue

Abstract

This paper intends to show that Paul Éluard in Poésie ininterrompue uses a typical resource applied by the Surrealist poets in their verses, the dialectics. In order to do so, Vernier (1971) and Adereth (1987) were considered as main references because they read the poetry of Éluard as a representative whole and not as a fragment of his work, marked by the adoption of dialectics as well as of paradox. That’s why it is necessary to consider Éluard not as a mere poet associated with a movement, but as an artist concerned about writing poetry of recognition, complaint, commitment, and sensitivity, creating images of despair and hope, highlighting nature, and human individual effort as a way to final emancipation against all forms of domination and indoctrination. For this, Éluard shows himself as a dialectical poet, but the opposition is not a negative aspect because the eluardian dialectics wants to clarify and awake, not to shadow, and thus setting man free.