Eroticism, narrative and cultural renewal: The writing of Salvador Dalí 1928-1945

This thesis looks at how eroticism, literary narrative, and cultural renewal intersect in the written works of Salvador Dalí. Whilst much work has been carried out on his painted oeuvre, less has been said about his writings. I am going to highlight Dalí as a writer of Modernist texts, taking a contrary stance to Finkelstein (1998) and Lubar (1999) who have argued that his oeuvre shows anti-Modernist tendencies. I am going to investigate his relationship with Surrealism, using his explorations of hysteria and the political milieu of 1930s Europe to look at how his aesthetics intersect with, and depart from, the Movement. I will also look at the way in which Dalí eroticises writing/artistic creativity. Finally I am going to explore Dalí’s relationship with fascism. Many scholars and journalists take it as a given that Dalí sympathised with Hitler. I take a different approach, arguing that he critiqued Hitler both before and during WW2, but at the same time had sympathies with fascist ideologies. This, I will suggest, is reflective of his relationship with Communism in the late 20s, early 30s, and Surrealism, in that he favours the values, ideologies, and aesthetics over their figureheads. This thesis looks in depth at texts that have received very little scholarly attention. In particular, his novel, Hidden Faces (1944). The text is central to an understanding of Dalí’s relationship with fascism during WW2, but is also a text which brings together the three focuses of this thesis: eroticism, literary narrative, and cultural renewal. Thus, this thesis makes a contribution to knowledge in Dalí studies by looking at texts which have received little scholarly attention, situating him as a Modernist, and also by taking a new approach to his relationship with fascism.