Poetic Principles and Practice: Occasional Papers on Baudelaire, Mallarmé and Valéry

by Lloyd Austin

• ISBN13: 9780521128612
• ISBN10: 0521128617
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-02-04
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Baudelaire, Mallarm_ and Val_ry, three central poets of the modern French tradition, form a noble poetic lineage: Mallarm_ proceeded from Baudelaire, Val_ry from Mallarm_; yet each went his separate way and attained a high degree of originality. All three reflected deeply on the principles of poetic creation; all three sought to apply these principles in the practice of writing. The central theme of the eighteen papers collected here is the constant confrontation of theory and practice. The majority are close studies of individual poems, based on rigourous textual analysis, but placing each poem, implicitly or explicitly, in the total context of each poet's work as a whole. The impact of these poets on the development of modern poetry has been felt far beyond the frontiers of France; their writings are at the centre of more recent reflection on literature in genera, and poetry in particular, as the application of certain properties of language. Above all, their poems remain a constant source of delight; to share that delight with the reader is the main object of this book.

Table of Contents

Baudelaire: poet or prophet?

Presence and poetry of Stéphane Mallarmé: international reputation and intellectual impact

Mallarmé on music and letters

The mystery of a name

Mallarmé and the 'Prose pour des Esseintes'

New light on Brennan and Mallarmé

Mallarmé and Gautier: new light on 'Toast funébre'

Mallarm̩'s reshaping of 'Le Pitre ch̗ti̩'

'Le Tombeau de Charles Baudelaire' by Stéphane Mallarmé: satire or homage?

Stéphane Mallarmé: 'Dans le Jardin'

Meaning in Mallarmé: remarks on 'A la nue accablante tu ...'

The indubitable wing: Mallarmé's 'Quand l'ombre menaàa de la fatale loi ...'

How ambiguous is Mallarmé? Reflection on the captive swan

The genius of Paul Valéry

The negative plane tree

Modulation and movement in Valéry's verse

Valéry's views on literature

Appendix

Bibliographical note

Supplement

Index

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