French Literature Reviews - 2026

Anne Larue, Le Surréalisme de Duchamp à Deleuze
Literary Theory, Linguistics and Stylistics

Anne Larue, Le Surréalisme de Duchamp à Deleuze, "Libre choix" series, Talus d'approche, 306 p., 15.50 euros.

Le surréalisme de Duchamp à Deleuze: "a knife without a blade, for which the handle is missing". What remains of surrealism after a title like that, apart from these two boundary markers that never, absolutely never, would have been its own: Duchamp and Deleuze?
From Duchamp-Picabia to Deleuze-Guattari, there is only a single lineage of thought. In between, certain surrealists try to convince us, with plenty of window-dressing, papier-mâché, and smoke and mirrors, that the Poetry of Love glorifies Woman. But the surrealists care very little about women and love, in reality—and slightly less about poetry, as we shall see. What interests them, led by Breton, is rather the arming of war machines... Which ones? You will find out by reading this short volume.

Published in the Libre choix series by Talus d approche, this study examines surrealism through an unexpected intellectual trajectory. Anne Larue challenges conventional views of the movement, particularly its traditional emphasis on poetry, love, and idealized representations of women. Instead, the author redirects attention toward the concept of the war machine, tracing connections that bypass standard art historical narratives to link figures like Duchamp and Picabia with later thinkers such as Deleuze and Guattari.

This accessible volume will interest students and scholars of modern art, literary history, and twentieth-century French philosophy. It offers fresh perspectives on the avant-garde, prompting readers to reconsider how surrealist practices anticipated later theoretical developments. By questioning established orthodoxies regarding Breton and his contemporaries, the book serves as a valuable resource for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of radical aesthetics and intellectual history.