I. "Le Voyage" de Baudelaire: Afin de pouvoir conclure notre discussion de cet auteur, considérez comment ce dernier poème (ajouté à l'édition de 1861) complète ce volume (cf. les thèmes et les images dont Baudelaire se sert).
II. L. Porter, The Crisis of French Symbolism, ch. 5 (pp.191-217)
1. (pp.191-195) In Rimbaud's early poetry, what is the poet's relation to his audience, and why does Porter consider this fundamental trait so important? Why does Porter cosnider Rimbaud to be a "highly dramatic poet" (193), and with what result? What forms of poetic expression does Porter consider Rimbaud to pursue? What is the purpose of Rimbaud's use of spoken expression?
2. (pp.195-201) What modes of self-defense does Rimbaud deploy? What axes does Porte define in order to describe the Romantic legacy? How does each axis apply to Rimbaud's poetry? How does Porter characterize Rimbaud's rapport with Nature, and how does this affect his poetic expression? What is the importance of self-contemplation and self-reading among Rimbaud's strategies?
3. (pp.201-209) Why does Porter single out "Les Etrennes des orphelins" for study, and what does the poem (and Porter's analysis) reveal about Rimbaud's strategies? What role does Nature play in this regard? What was the importance of Rimbaud's contact with T. de Banville in 1870, and what is the particular significance (according to Porter) of each section of the poem "Soleil et chair"?
4. (pp.209-217) According to Porter, what does Rimbaud accomplish with the "unmasking poems"? What evidence does Porter offer in saying that "Rimbaud's poetic development was continuous" (213)? How does Rimbaud subvert Romantic commonplaces? How does Rimbaud "test [the Poet's] identity . . . against the rival" (214)? Why does Porter consider "Les Assis" to be a particularly important example of this tendency?
III. Rimbaud, "La Lettre du 'Voyant'": A Paul Demeny,
le 15 mai 1871, à partir de la page 304 dans Rimbaud (édition
Fowlie). Voir aussi la lettre précédente à
Georges Izambard (pp.302-304). Afin de discuter ces textes ensemble,
notez les images et le vocubulaire qui ne vous ne paraissent pas
tout à fait clairs, aussi bien que les diverses références.