The French poet Paul Marie Verlaine (1844-1896), one of the most exquisite lyric poets in the history of French literature, ranks with Rimbaud and Mallarmé as one of the major French symbolists...
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After his death in Paris on 8 January 1896, friends and admirers of Paul Verlaine--including François Coppée, René Sully-Prudhomme, José Maria de Heredia, Jean Richepin, Je...
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In the following essay, Carter provides an overview of Verlaine's poetic life.
A short life, less than fifty-two years; yet its output was considerable. From Poèmes saturniens until h...
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In the following essay, Cohn provides a close reading of Verlaine's sonnet “L'espoir luit. …”.
L'espoir luit comme un brin de paille dans l’é...
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In the following essay, Frank provides a brief explication of Verlaine's “Chevaux de bois.”
“Chevaux de Bois”
Tournez, tournez, bons chevaux de bois, Tournez ...
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In the following essay, Porter questions the “musicality” of Verlaine's poetry and discusses his use of language, which makes the reader consider reality in new ways.
Verlaine ...
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In the following essay, Schultz explores the significance of “Almanach pour l'année passée”compared to the rest of Verlaine's poetic output.
Paul Verlaine&...
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In the following essay, King discusses Verlaine's sexuality as it appears in the language of his poems.
Je distinguerai donc deux bisexualités, deux façons opposées de p...
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In the following essay, Revard explores the influence of Verlaine and the French Symbolists on William Butler Yeats's “A Dialogue of Self and Soul.”
It is usually recognized th...
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In the following essay, Walker argues that the visual and spatial imagery in Fêtes galantes make that volume distinctive from Verlaine's other works of poetry.
Despite their display o...
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In the following essay, Stephan examines Verlaine's influence on the movement of young Decadent poets.
As Verlaine receives favourable treatment in critical articles, verse appearing in maga...
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In the following essay, King examines the importance of grammar and verb choice to the meaning of Verlaine's poetry.
Recent studies of Verlaine's impressionistic style have been prima...
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In the following essay, Whitmore discusses the irony of Verlaine's character studies in the poem “Pantomime.”
In “Pantomime,” the second of Paul Verlaine's...
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In the following essay, Storey explores the Pierrot figure in Verlaine's poetry.
Ce n'est plus le rêveur lunaire du vieil air Qui riait aux aïeux dans les dessus de port...
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In the following essay, Peschel presents an overview of Verlaine's life and career.
It's beautiful eyes behind veils, It's the full noon's trembling light, It's t...
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In the following essay, de Dobay Rifelj explores neoclassical diction in Verlaine's poetry.
In order for a figure to exist, a comparison must be possible between one form of expression and a...
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In the following excerpt, Brereton briefly outlines Verlaine's artistic development and literary influence.
The deplorable Verlaine—for so, from the moral point of view, he must be co...
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In the following excerpt, Porter comments on Verlaine's antilinguistic stance and subversion of language.
Verlaine has been neglected in recent years. The brevity of his poems; their songlik...
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In the following essay, Carter surveys Verlaine 's career.
Had anyone present at the funeral been asked why he admired the dead man, he would probably have answered that Verlaine carried on ...
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In the following excerpt from her seminal biography of Verlaine, Richardson discusses Verlaine 's poetry in the context of his era.
Verlaine published his first book at a moment when French ...
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In the following excerpt, Chadwick traces the early critical reception of Verlaine 's poetry.
Critical opinion of Verlaine's work varied enormously throughout his career, not always i...
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Here, Stephan describes some decadent elements and themes in Verlaine 's works.
For a quarter of a century now it is Fêtes galantes and Romances sans paroles that Verlaine critics hav...
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In the following excerpt, Richardson provides a critical overview of Verlaine's verse, reputation, and contribution to literature.
Bishop on Verlaine's Development as a Poet
Verlaine...
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Peyre is a French-born critic who has lived and taught in the United States for most of his career. One of the foremost American critics of French literature, he has written extensively on modern Fren...
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In the following excerpt, Peschel presents a detailed analysis of two of Verlaine 's poems, "Moonlight" and "Crimen Amoris," describing tensions that exist beneath t...
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Below, Taylor-Horrex analyzes the themes of love, active versus passive modes of loving, and irresponsibility versus responsibility in Verlaine's collections of verse Fêtes galantes and ...
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Paul Marie Verlaine
Paul (Marie) Verlaine
Critical Essay by A. E. Carter
