Le Paysan de Paris
Encyclopedia
Le Paysan de Paris is a surrealist book about places in Paris
by Louis Aragon
which was first published in 1926 by Editions Gallimard
.
It was dedicated to the surrealist painter Andre Masson
and its preface
was on the theme of a modern mythology. The two main sections of the books describe two places in Paris in great detail: Le Passage de l'Opera
and Parc des Buttes-Chaumont. The detailed descriptions provide a realistic backdrop for surrealist spectacles such as the transformation of a shop into a seascape in which a siren
appears and then disappears. This literary device is le merveilleux quotidien
— a contrast of the mundane with the marvellous.
Arnold Bennett
described the work as stimulating but uneven. He thought it the best of the six books which he bought in Paris when visiting there in 1927. Louis Aragon was disappointed with the book's reception by the French literary establishment which he considered too bourgeois and commercial.
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
by Louis Aragon
Louis Aragon
Louis Aragon , was a French poet, novelist and editor, a long-time member of the Communist Party and a member of the Académie Goncourt.- Early life :...
which was first published in 1926 by Editions Gallimard
Éditions Gallimard
Éditions Gallimard is one of the leading French publishers of books. The Guardian has described it as having "the best backlist in the world". In 2003 it and its subsidiaries published 1418 titles....
.
It was dedicated to the surrealist painter Andre Masson
André Masson
André-Aimé-René Masson was a French artist.-Biography:Masson was born in Balagny-sur-Thérain, Oise, but was brought up in Belgium. He began his study of art at the age of eleven in Brussels, at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts under the guidance of Constant Montald, and later he studied in Paris...
and its preface
Preface
A preface is an introduction to a book or other literary work written by the work's author. An introductory essay written by a different person is a foreword and precedes an author's preface...
was on the theme of a modern mythology. The two main sections of the books describe two places in Paris in great detail: Le Passage de l'Opera
Avenue de l'Opéra
The Avenue de l'Opéra is a Haussmanian avenue situated in the centre of Paris, France. It runs from the Louvre to the Palais Garnier, which was Paris's main opera until it was replaced by the Opéra Bastillein 1989....
and Parc des Buttes-Chaumont. The detailed descriptions provide a realistic backdrop for surrealist spectacles such as the transformation of a shop into a seascape in which a siren
Siren
In Greek mythology, the Sirens were three dangerous mermaid like creatures, portrayed as seductresses who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island. Roman poets placed them on an island called Sirenum scopuli...
appears and then disappears. This literary device is le merveilleux quotidien
Magic realism
Magic realism or magical realism is an aesthetic style or genre of fiction in which magical elements blend with the real world. The story explains these magical elements as real occurrences, presented in a straightforward manner that places the "real" and the "fantastic" in the same stream of...
— a contrast of the mundane with the marvellous.
Arnold Bennett
Arnold Bennett
- Early life :Bennett was born in a modest house in Hanley in the Potteries district of Staffordshire. Hanley is one of a conurbation of six towns which joined together at the beginning of the twentieth century as Stoke-on-Trent. Enoch Bennett, his father, qualified as a solicitor in 1876, and the...
described the work as stimulating but uneven. He thought it the best of the six books which he bought in Paris when visiting there in 1927. Louis Aragon was disappointed with the book's reception by the French literary establishment which he considered too bourgeois and commercial.