LATVIJAS UNIVERSITĀTE
FILOLOĢIJAS FAKULTĀTE
JANA VĒRDIŅA (RUDZĪTE)
Dadaisms un tā interpretācijas konteksti
Dadaism and its contexts of interpretation
Der Dadaismus und der Kontext seiner Interpretationen
PROMOCIJAS DARBA KOPSAVILKUMS
FILOLOĢIJAS DOKTORA GRĀDA IEGŪŠANAI LITERATŪRZINĀTNES
NOZARĒ SALĪDZINĀMĀS LITERATŪRZINĀTNES APAKŠNOZARĒ
RĪGA
2006
Dadaism and its contexts of interpretation.
General characterization of the doctoral theses.
Any cultural phenomenon exists in interaction with other cultures ,
similarly one literary trend influences the development of the next one and the
creations of its single representatives leave lasting consequences not only in
their own, but also in the literature of other nations. One of the new features of
the age of Modernism were not only flickers of new „- isms", but also their
fusion in the public sphere. In some respect that was a self -protection against
the ,,old art" - not without a wish to conquer galleries, publishing houses, press
columns. One of such trends was Dadaism. Dadaism existed in the period
from 1 9 1 6 to 1924 1. It developed in several countries at a time. Tristan Tzara
is considered to be the founder of Dadaism. The most significant
representatives - Hugo Ball, Richard Huelsenbeck, Hans Arp, Kurt Schwitters.
Dadaism arose from the turning against Expressionism and the torpidity in the
art of the previous epoch, as well as against the negations of World War I. It
changed the notions about literature and art, creating anti -literature and antiart. The aesthetic basis of Dadaism is formed by the findings of several
previous cultural phenomena.
Theme of the doctoral thesis. Interpretation of Dadaism in the context of
other literary trends and phenomena of Modernism. The theme of the research
concerns both the period of Dadaism overall, within the chronological
framework of which there has been an attempt to explain its forms of
development, and the formation of opinions and activity of several authors has
also been highlighted there. The attention has been mainly centred around the
German writing Dadaists, because dissertation author has translated their
literary texts the within the framework of the research.
Object of the doctoral theses. Context of Dadaism and Modernism, of
Modern Art, Avant-Garde Art.
Hypothesis of the doctoral theses. Many common features with other
trends of Modernism can be observed in Dadaism (for example, Expressionism
and Futurism).
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Aim of the doctoral theses is to obtain the description of the most
characteristic phenomena of Dadaism and the analysis in the context of the
paradigm of Modernism and in the context of the creation of several
representatives of Modernism.
This aim sets the comparable character of the dissertation.
Task of the doctoral theses is to contrast the most characteristic
phenomena of Dadaism and those of other trends of Modernism, as well as the
theoretical viewpoints and methods of creation of several authors, in order to
provide the description and analysis of the most characteristic phenomena of
Dadaism.
The methodological basis of the doctoral theses is the theoretical history
of literature that envisages studying the character of the process, ways of
origination of several phenomena, the development features of the literary
phenomenon of one country in comparison with the development features of
the literary phenomena of other countries. Among trends and authors both
typological, and genetic ties are marked, influences are characterized.
The research was made particularly complicated by the fact that
Dadaism did not have a unified method, every author expressed himself in a
manner characteristic for himself, basing on rather his cultural experience than
on the things named in the joint manifestos. This is related also to the fact that
that the manifestos of Dadaism are mainly to be perceived as autonomic art
products.
The frameworks of Dadaism treated in the dissertation are not the only
ones possible, they can be expanded, however there has been an attempt to
cover the most essential phenomena of Modernism, in the influence of which
Dadaism formed and which were formed by Dadaism.
The most voluminous scientific researches about Dadaism have been
created in last decades, after the appearance of the first anthologies in the
1950ies.
In the last decades there have been analysed several literary
manifestations of this trend: for example, many studies have been dedicated to
the problem of ..language games", visual poetry, performance. The scientific
literature used for the writing of dissertation are mainly the wor ks of the
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researchers of Dadaism recognized worldwide that have been published in the
last decades. On this score the book "Dada a Paris" by Michel Sanouillet has
to be marked out particularly. Dadaism has been treated also in the context of
Modernism / Postmodernism - that is characteristic to the research by Richard
Shepard.
Interesting conclusions and motives for the research were taken from
the book by Annabelle Melzer about the performance in Dada and Surrealism,
as well as from the research by Michael Webster about the visual poetry. The
poems of Dadaists in the language context of the modern poetry have been
analysed by Monika Schmitz - Emans. There have been published
monographs about the literary creation of several Dadaist authors (mostly
Dada has been a little period between ,,-isms"). This work has been developed
through contrasting different interpretations.
The sources used for the writing of the dissertation are different
anthologies and selections of poetry. The main sources used are the anthology
compiled by Richard Huelsenbeck ,,Dada. Eine literarische Dokumentation",
and the anthology compiled by Klaus Schuhmann ,,sankt ziegenzack springt
aus dem ei". In both of them manifestos, fragments of diaries, memories,
portraits are also collected, which provide a rather essential insight in the
occurred. In these anthologies are collected not only texts of the German
writing Dadaists, but also of others - translated into German.
In Latvia Dadaism is little studied theme, therefore the understandi ng
about this trend in several cases has formed in distorted manner. Moreover the
features of Dadaism are not a characteristic phenomenon for the Latvian
literature.
Not only literary phenomena are touched in the dissertation, but also
several manifestations, that are related to the common practice of Dadaism visual art, music, theatre. That is related to the idea about the creation of "co art" works (Gesamtkunstwerk) activated in Modernism, these works would
cover all arts spheres. However primarily the literary text has been treated
there.
The scientific novelty and theoretical significance of the doctoral theses is
determined by:
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1) the actualisation of the researches of the comparable literary theory,
2) the turning to the adaptation of some new viewpoints in the
interpretation of Modernism literature in the literary theory in Latvia,
3) the accentuation of common and different in the development of various
literary processes in the context of Dadaism.
Size and structure of the doctoral theses.
The dissertation consists of introduction, eight chapters, conclusions
and bibliography and two appendices.
Summary of the content of the doctoral theses.
Chapter 1 "Contourment of the epoch: Modernism, Avant-Garde Art and
Dadaism" gives a summary about the interpretation of Dadaism in the context
of such concepts as ..Modernism", ..Avant-garde", ..Modern Art".
Traditionally Dadaism has been treated as a trend of Modern / Avant Garde Art. Already in middle 1960ies the remarkable researcher of Dadaism
Michel Sanouillet paid particular attention to those features, which testify that
Dadaism presents manifestation in different cultural environments as a
complex phenomenon. This trend is closely related to the actual discussions
about the matters that concern the well-formedness and periodization of the
modern art, in this chapter the matter of subordination of these concepts is
discussed, based on the viewpoints of P. Birger, J. Habermas, Zh. F. Liotar, A.
Huisen, V. Benjamin a.o.
In the chapter 2 "General characterization of Dadaism" the origination history
of the trend is treated, the major centres of Dadaism are characterized there.
Dadaists expressed themselves both in fine arts, theatre, literature, and
movies. However the fact should be taken into consideration that Dada in
literature and art was understood differenly by every author, because Dadaists
did not have unified opinions about that, what and how should be created. In
Dadaism the contradictions between Urbanism and Primitivism, between cult
of technique and denial, between collectivism and individualism, between myth
and reality characteristic for Avant-Garde can be seen. The Dada researchers,
for example Michel Sanouillet and Richard Shepard, usually emphasize the
atmosphere of ideologically unified nihilism in the branches of this trend in
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Zurich, Berlin, Hannover, Paris, New York, Barcelona and elsewhere, what
would be a basis, in order to formulate Dadas as the identity of the trend.
Describing major Dadaists' centres there have been analysed several
significant Dada actions, characterized features of Dadaism, which are in
detail described in the further chapters of the paper.
Chapter 3 "Actualisation of the myth in Dadaism" characterizes several
primitive art and mythical elements in Dadaism.
Dadaism, activating the mythical, has taken over the following elements:
ritual masks, fetishes, usage of sound magic. In the context of the activation of
myth are treated the works by Tristan Tzara, Hans Arp, Kurt Schwitters and
Hugo Ball. The literary texts of the authors mentioned above have been
analysed in parallels with cosmogonic myths, in the poems by Hugo Ball and
Kurt Schwitters has been analysed the possible usage of sound magic, as well
as described the visual similarities of Dada artworks with the fetishes of the
Kongo tribes.
The tie of Dadaism with the primitive cultures can be seen in two levels.
One of them is related with a quite formal eclectism - adoption of several
elements of primitive art and mythical plots without going deep int o their
regularities. The second factor is much more complicated, it is related with the
wish to return to the parent language and to create ones own special language
of art.
Chapter 4 "Expressionism and Dadaism" characterizes the relations of
Expressionism and Dadaism, as well as provides the summary about the
features, which Dadaism adopted from Expressionism.
Dadaism adopted from Expressionism the aesthetics of the ugly,
reproduction of the profane environment, the laconic poetics, but parodied the
texts of Expressionists. In the context of the ugly are treated the texts by R.
Huelsenbeck and H. Arp, analysed A. Stramm's influence on the creations by
K. Schwitters, it is indicated, which texts by Dadaists have to be perceived as
parodies about the texts by Expressionists. From Expressionism Dada took
over the passion for manifestos and parodies, the prehistoric and the
'primitive" in the spirit of Ruso, the Utopian ideal of brotherhood, politically
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radical ideas and - not to a lesser extent - confidence to the abstracted form
that is taken over from Wassily Kandinsky's opinions.
Chapter 5 "Wassilv Kandinsky and Dadaism" treats Wassily Kadinsky's
theoretical viewpoints and their influences in Dadaism, in the subchapters
analysing: 1) Kandinsky's idea of ,,co-art" (Gesamtkunstwerk) and its influence
on Dadaism, 2) influence of Kandinsky's aesthetic opinions on Hugo Ball's
creation and 3) influence of Kandinsky's aesthetic opinions on Kurt Schwitters'
creation.
Kandinsky has a significant role in bringing nearer the processes of
West European and Russian Avant-Garde Art, as well as in colligating in the
symbolical sense different artistic conceptions, to which the designation
"abstract art" or "abstract poetry" can be attributed. These conceptions are
essential for Dadaists. Voltaire's cabaret would not be possible without Ball's
will to implement Kandinsky's vision of theatre, the theoretical basis of which is
in the influence of aesthetics of Romantism arisen idea of the "synthesis" of all
arts or "co-art" (Gesamtskuntswerk). This idea was known and appreciated by
Ball, Schwitters, Hausman and Arp. Particular influence on the creation by
Hugo Ball and Kurt Schwitters. Both above mentioned authors took over the
following factors:
1) Idea about the essential (symbolical) tie of subject reality and imitation,
which is being held effective through the customs of language usage - in
essence the same social mediums, which have brought the modern society to
a mental crisis; restriction of such tie (illusion of reality) in the composition, in
which the material or objects recognizable in the reality - both tangible,
substantial, and, for example, words and optical images - are organized by the
principle of contrast / "counterpoint"; the traditional understanding about the
essential in the art becomes conditioned; 2) Particular interest about the
language problems; apprehension that the peculiar strength of language
makes to manipulate with "words that have been invented by others", ready
components; 3) The attention is paid to voice intonation, timbre, facial
expression, gestures and the like manifestations that are important in the
composition of text and / or in the process of giving a publicity. In Ball's and
Schwitters' time such forms of (self)articulation were mov ed aside in the
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periphery of art life - almost insensible, and that seemed self -evident;
alterations came through Kandinsky's dedication to the dramatics, as well as to
the idea about "inner sound" - invisible, extremely fine and complicated
relation, which can be compared to the soul vibrations; Ball and Schwitters
related this trend with spontaneity, which emancipating effect is similar to
shock condition; line of performance.
Many of the facts mentioned above have gained in Ball's and Schwitters'
creations a different sense. For example, for Ball, similarly for Kandinsky, the
typographic experiment in sound poems is at the same time narrative, it should
be perceived as a score of performances, for Schwitters it is an independent
strategy.
Kandinsky, similarly also Ball, has appreciated the intuition, in which the
mental discipline and spontaneity are as complemental abilities. Schwitters'
"mercworks" testify the understanding of their author about creation rather as a
construction in the amplitude from different parallel stories to the abstracted
rhythm. For Kandinsky "everything .. sounds both in tones, and colours, and
lines", Schwitters' texts - much more an ironical, ambiguous reminder about
the strenght of concepts and symbols in the room of communication.
In the chapter 6 "Futurism and Dadaism" are described the influences of
Futurism on Dadaism, in the subchapters separating the from the Italian and
Russian Futurism adopted.
All in all from Futurism Dadaism took over: destruction of syntax as far as
succession of sounds, however not having a craze for imitations of sounds, in
particular cases approaching "zaumj" viewpoints (Ball, Arp); visualization of
syntax, line of typographic experiment, however to Dadists is characteristic
another type of organization of syntax, which is more like to collage, for
Dadists the elements of visual text are more autonomic, for Futurists is
characteristic organization of syntax; reading of manifestos with instigating
additives and a tendency to involve public in their actions, however Dadaists'
actions are more spontaneous, extemporaneous. Futurists like Dadaists were
aware that the modern epoch has radically changed the perception of life,
Futurists were of the opinion that it is necessary fully unite the man and hi s
epoch, to feel, how the concrete real facts of modern life (telephone,
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gramophone, auto etc. impress the sensitive perception), discovering new
relevances between seemingly opposite things, in their turn for Dadaists it was
more important to transform the real facts created by reality into irony and
laugh.
In the chapter 7 "Guillaume Apollinaire and Dadaism" are treated the
relations of Apollinaire's poetic technique and Dadaism.
Simultaneity of Dadaism is more related with Bruitism - intensified attention
is paid to sound, voice, simultaneous performance of text, it is a wish to
overturn the notion about the artwork as an entirety, for which is possible a
continuation in time and room, for Apollinaire in his turn it is a way to a
principally new text mode - visual poetry, to which he wanted to allot such
power, that it could express the being of words and things in one time and
room, transforming it into feeling of the entirety of reality.
Dadaism and Apollinaire are united by the belonging to the typographic
experiments, however the aesthetic type is radically different; in the case of
Dada - unusability, that of Apollinaire - contemplation. However Dadaists
have learned from Apollinaire to move the collage into text, but more
reservedly have assessed the aesthetic essence of this technique.
In the chapter 8 "Influences of Dadaism on Surrealism" is given an
overview about influences of Dadaism on Surrealism.
Surrealists, similarly to Dadaists, looking for new language dimensions,
hoped to create new values also in the life, to integrate the marvellous,
inexplicable into the everyday. Particularly the autonomic characteristics of
language inspired Andre Breton. However Dadaists more strove to make a
poem as a fact of language in general, they rejoiced at the performance
presented by language, but Surrealists in their best texts offer to the reader a
breathtaking, new experience, where the everyday and imagination flow
together in one entirety. Texts of Surrealism are very different from the texts of
Dadaism, - they are organized by the syntax rules, Dadaists strived to break
down these rules. For example, Surrealists, parodying the proverbs, did not
change the sentence construction, but Dadaists used to mess up the syntactic
structure. Dadaists were of the opinion that the text can be formed without
observing grammar rules, while Surrealists, even though they were of the
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opinion that the language as a system of signs does not build on the "order of
things", however they came to an agreement that it is possible to express
oneself absurdly, though syntactically correctly.
The most popular Dadaists' play, exclusive of involvement of public in
their actions, was a free acting with language - incoherent succession of
sounds, deliberate non-observance of grammar rules, plays with the
metaphorical polysemy of the word. Also for Surrealists such plays are
characteristic, for example, the famous "Fine corpse" - everybody wrote the
word chosen by himself on the leaflet, at the end, combining all wor ds in
phrases, originated a poem. However a disparity that was introduced by
Surrealists - giving up of the typographic plays with a word in the poem, what
Dadaists in their time had so very favoured.
The concept "psychic automatism" was formulated by Surr ealists,
however for Dadaists it was not something unknown. This technique, which
Dadaists have created unconsciously and used fragmentarily, Surrealists have
improved and formulated a theoretical substantiation for it. Therefore it is quite
without reason considered to be a contribution of Surrealism. Hans Arp already
during the Zurich period was busy with the creation of works of psychic
automatism. He had drawn mornings, without thinking anything, just lining on
the paper. Similarly have "come to light" (Dadaists use this word instead of
"automatism") words, images for poems. Certainly, not only Hans Arp, but also
other Dadaists - Kurt Schwitters, Tristan Tzara - used to play in such a way.
That dos not mean that their poetry could with light hand be unif ied with
Surrealism, because it was directed to provocation, while Surrealists played
with their subconsciousness, trying to unite the incompatible, to apprehend the
unapprehendable, to involve the reader in their world without epathation.
Both Dadaism, and Surrealism possess the disposition to spontaneity,
intolerance against conventional modes, propensity to connect contrasts principle of the double or the duplicate. For Breton poetry, reality are duplicate
of magic, "alchemy", for Tzara - language is a duplicate of a gesture, poetry of activity.
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In the afterword there have been outlined the manifestations of
Neodadaism after the appearance of the first anthologies, memories and
studies in the 1950ies and 1960ies.
In the first appendix are colligated the samples of typographic experiments
and simultaneous poems, which are treated in different chapters of this paper.
In the second appendix are colligated the literary texts translated by the author
and manifestos with comments.
Conclusions of the doctorate paper:
•
Modernism is characterized by the variety of contexts of cultural
experience and also by a certain contradictoriness, therefore the
widespread opinion that on the eve of World War I in the development
of the modern art marked some fracture, ideological, heightened phase,
what is designated by the concept of Avantgarde, has many problematic
features. The main of them is related with the theses that trends of
avantgarde, among them, Dadaism, develops as an investigation. That
reflects a definite style of thinking, which is oriented to the otherness
and testifies an ambiguous attitude to all the apparent. With this one an
all-embracing theoretical model in the explanation of Avantgarde should
be avoided and the phenomena should be treated so, as they have
developed in the certain historical conditions, such manifestations of
Avantgarde should be highlighted, the mutually analogical features of
which appear in different contexts.
•
Actualising the mythical, Dadaists have used ritual masks, fetishes,
magic of sounds;
•
Of Expressionism Dadaism has taken over the aesthetics of the ugly,
reproduction of the profane environment, the laconic poetics, but Dadas
parodied the texts of Expressionists;
•
Kandinsky has a significant role in bringing nearer the processes of the
West European and Russian underground art, as well as in colligating in
the symbolical sense different artistic conceptions, to which the
designation "abstract art" or "abstract poetry" can be attributed. Thes e
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conceptions are essential to Dadaists. Voltaire's cabaret would not be
possible without Ball's will to implement Kandinsky's vision of theatre,
the theoretical basis of which is in the influence of aesthetics of
Romantism arisen idea of the "synthesis" of all arts or "co-art"
(Gesamtskuntswerk). This idea was known and appreciated by Ball,
Schwitters, Hausman and Arp.

Of Futurism - reading of epatages, manifestos from the
stage with clownish additions, their distribution by the way of
newspapers and leaflets, sound poem, chaotic twine of
images, non-observance of grammar rules; in the verbatim
(sound) poems Dadaists used other principles - they did not
strive to grasp really existent things in their noisiness,
multidimensionality, they were nearer to t he Russian
Futurism, ,,zaumj sphere". Bruitistic poem for Dadas - a
chance to create work in several languages and to perform it
simultaneously in all of them.

Dadaism and Apollinaire are united by the belonging to the
typographic experiments, however the aesthetic type is
radically different; in the case of Dada - unusability, that of
Apollinaire - contemplation. However Dadaists have learned of
Apollinaire to move the collage into text, but more reservedly
have assessed the aesthetic essence of this technique.

Surrealism has taken over from Dadaism epatage, play as one
of the possibilities of creation, "automatism" (on condition),
usage of the principle of collage in poetry, "ready - made"
demonstration.
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1
Exist several versions about the chronological borderlines of Dadaism:
1) From 1916 till 1924 (from the first Dadaists' manifesto till the first Surrealists'
manifesto). See: Lexikon der Kunst, Architektur, Bildende Kunst. Industrieformgestaltung
Kunsttheorie,-B.2. - Lepizig, E.A.Seemann Verlag, 2004, - S.62.-63.
2) Exists from 1916, final period -1922. (In Paris takes place the last the "noisiest" action
of Dada.) See: Kursīte J. Dzejas vārdnīca. - Rīga: Zinātne, 2002, - 85 Ipp. and
Encyklopedia of Literature. A comprehensive and authoritative guide to the world of
literature - authors, works, terms and topics - from all erasanf all parts of the world. Merriam Webster, Incoporated, Publishers Sprigsfield, Massachusetts, 1995, p. 1 1 2
3)
Several researchers of Dada, for example, Michel Sanouillet and Klaus
Schuhmann mark the chronological boundaries of Dadaism from 1914 till 1924,
indicating to several Protodadaistic tendencies till the first "official" evening of Dada in
Zurich, Voltaire's cabaret.
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