Section 5 Summary and Analysis

Section 5 is the longest section in Mad Love, containing a number of different themes and images. They are volcanoes, grasses, succulents, Alice in Wonderland, and Engels' The Origins of the Family, Baudelaire's poem "Voyage." This section exemplifies the surrealist automatic writing, as these connections seem incongruous but reflect the track Breton's mind takes as he writes.

Breton ascends in an elevator up the peak of the volcano at Teide on Tenerife, one of the Spanish Canary Islands, and describes the world he sees from that height including the sand, lava, water, and cacti. Breton compares passing through the rough landscape with passing through rough desire, and he finds the contrast as he moves from the forest of the island to the lava peaks to be a powerful reminder of volcanic and natural forces. As Breton describes the plant life on Tenerife...