"Poetic Uses of Language: Dada and Surrealism", in History of the French Language 1914–1945, edited by Gérald Antoine and Robert Martin, CNRS Editions, 1995, pp. 567–595.
Text published in: Histoire de la langue française des origines à nos jours, Vol. XV (1914–1945), edited by G. Antoine & R. Martin, CNRS Editions, Paris, 1995.
Back Cover:
As a continuation of the monumental History of the French Language initiated by Ferdinand Brunot, this volume picks up from where the previous one left off, covering the 1880–1914 period (published in 1985). Its 42 chapters are divided into four major sections:
– Analysis of phonetic, orthographic, lexical, and syntactic evolutions;
– Survey of the various uses of French: primarily spoken language (slang, regional dialects, oral forms…), specialized languages (scientific, technical, etc.), and literary language;
– The situation of French outside of France;
– Summary of research developments in grammar, linguistics, and historical studies of the French language.
Bounded by the two World Wars—which witnessed the emergence of new means of communication, particularly for propaganda purposes—the period under consideration leads us to pay special attention to oral expression, shaped by cinema and radio media. Rector Gérald Antoine and Robert Martin (Director of InaLF) brought together leading specialists in every field to carry out this project—one without parallel in the world.
And yet, surprisingly, this reference work—which ought to be readily available in every public library—is barely visible across the library network, even within universities.
I therefore feel compelled to highlight the first publication of volume XV (the final one), directed by Gérald Antoine and Robert Martin, who were kind enough to include my contribution alongside the chapter written by Gérald Antoine himself—who, for that matter, would have been equally qualified to address Dada and Surrealism.
Further reading:
Poetry and Politics in the 20th Century, edited by Henri Béhar and Pierre Taminiaux, selected proceedings from the July 2010 colloquium, Centre Culturel International de Cerisy, Hermann, 2011. ISBN 978-2-7056-8026-8
Table of Contents:
Introduction, by Henri BÉHAR & Pierre TAMINIAUX
The Dada Manifestos as Poetic Gestures, by Pierre TAMINIAUX
Surrealism / Post-Surrealism
Surrealist Poetry between Revolt and Revolution, by Carole REYNAUD-PALIGOT
The Politics of the Poem in René Char, by Laure MICHEL
“Oulipo-litics”, by Christophe REIG
Poetic Anti-Demagogy: From the Review Proverbe to the Present, by David CHRISTOFFEL
From Surrealist Cannibalism to the Anthropophagic Poetics of Benjamin Péret, by Virginie POUZET-DUZER
“Compassionate Love” in André Breton or Expressing the Political Differently, by Misao HARADA
The Ever-Relevant Humanity, by Effie RENTZOU
Paul Éluard's Voice in Solidarity with Spain, by Brisa GOMEZ-ANGEL
Resistance – Revolutions – Subversions
From One Century to the Next, by Christian PRIGENT
Christian Prigent: A Political Writing?, by Bénédicte GORRILLOT
What Good Are Poets in Times of Revolutionary Joy? From Cuba to ’68, by Jérôme DUWA
Gaston Miron: Poetry, "Dark Jaws of Our Struggles", by Delphine RUMEAU
Political Engagements and Poetry: Toward the Invention of the Relative Subject, by Jean-Pierre ZUBIATE
Francis Ponge or Writing as the Spiritual Space of the Nation, by Pascal SIGODA
Re-poeticizing Life: Raoul Vaneigem or the Refined Subversion of the Free Spirit, by Jean-Claude MARCEAU
Césaire and the Dialectic of Liberation: Notebook of a Return to the Native Land and The Tragedy of King Christophe, by N’guettia Martin KOUADIO
Under the Influence of Poets: The Rhetoric of a Landscape Artist for the Political, by Catherine CHOMARAT-RUIZ
Politics and Mysticism: Unanimism in Jules Romains and the Early Jouve, by Alessandra MARANGONI
Frankétienne: The Politics of the Spiral, by Marie-Édith LENOBLE
Québécois Poetry: From "La Patrie" to a Homeland, by Sophie BASTIEN
From Political Circumstance to Poetic Circonference, by Fadi KHODR
Stalinade, by Jean-Clarence LAMBERT