Author Description
The collection of prose poems known as Le Spleen de Paris is an important, puzzling, and yet relatively neglected area of Baudelaire's work. This is the first study in English that is exclusively concerned with these texts. Approaching the poems chronologically, Hiddleston focuses primarily on the position of the artist and his attitude towards his art, the often enigmatic and contradictory moral message the poems purpose to convey and, above all, the relationship between prose and poetry in this hybrid and, by the poet's own admission, "dangerous" genre.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This study investigates the structural and thematic complexities of Charles Baudelaire's prose poetry collection, Le Spleen de Paris, to determine its significance within the poet's broader body of work. J. A. Hiddleston, a scholar of French literature, utilizes a chronological analysis of the poems to evaluate Baudelaire's evolving artistic philosophy. The text examines the tension between prose and poetic form, arguing that this hybrid genre serves as a critical site for understanding the poet's moral and aesthetic contradictions.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- A chronological examination of the prose poems within Le Spleen de Paris.
- Analysis of the artist's evolving relationship with his medium and creative output.
- Exploration of the hybrid nature of prose poetry as a dangerous or experimental genre.
- Investigation into the enigmatic moral messages embedded within Baudelaire's prose.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Experts recognize this work as a foundational English-language study for those seeking to understand the nuances of Baudelaire's prose poetry. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which provides a rigorous framework for analyzing these often-overlooked texts.
Page Count:
160
Publication Date:
1987-03-26
Publisher:
Clarendon Press
ISBN-10:
0198158394
ISBN-13:
9780198158394
Poetry
Biography
French literature
Academic
Literary Criticism
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