Théophile Gautier Summary

Théophile Gautier was one of the best known and most highly respected literary personalities in France in the nineteenth century. Among writers of the time, he counted as friends Victor Hugo, A... Read more

In the following essay, de Sumichrast examines Gautier's use of beauty, wit, picturesqueness, and realism in his works, particularly as seen in his novel Captain Fracasse. The critic also argue... Read more

In the excerpt below, Schick examines the aesthetics of Gautier's poems, noting that "Gautier's concept of poetry stresses the preeminence of words, of craft and of beauty."... Read more

In the following excerpt, Schaffer examines the aesthetic influence of the fifteenth- and sixteenth-century French poets on Gautier's poetry. T.s. Omond Compares Gautier and Hugo: Next to Hugo... Read more

In this excerpt, George offers a thematic and stylistic analysis of Gautier's short fiction and praises him for raising the standard of the genre. The petits romantiques, the second generation ... Read more

Here, Lloyd examines the "underlying structures, the associated contrasts and parallels, and the cultural allusions" in Gautier's novel, Mademoiselle de Maupin, contending that tr... Read more

In the following essay, originally presented in 1988 at the Southeast Conference on Foreign Languages and Literatures at Rollins College, Florida, Hawthorne analyzes the inaccuracies found in the prol... Read more

In the following excerpt, Andriano explores psychodynamic aspects of Gautier's "Le morte amoureuse, " contending that the female demon, Clarimonde, is a manifestation of Romuald&#... Read more

In the following excerpt, George offers a thematic and stylistic analysis of Gautier's short fiction, maintaining that he "stands forth as one of the earliest to construct a formal short... Read more

In the following essay, Smith examines the changing ideal in Gautier's short stories and discusses the autobiographical aspects of his work. Study of Gautier's narratives shows that the ... Read more

Grant is an American educator and critic. In the following excerpt, he discusses the defining characteristics of Gautier's "Oriental" stories, asserting that they stem from a �... Read more

In the following essay, Crichfield explores how the scientific acceptance of optical illusion propelled its use as a literary device in Gautier's "Arria Marcella. " Recent scholar... Read more

In the following essay, Schick explores the poem, "Coquetterie posthume," and discusses how its seemingly paradoxical conjunction of seduction and death can illuminate other aspects of G... Read more

In the following essay, Alsip compares the poetic imagery of Théophile de Viau and Gautier, concluding that while Gautier may have been influenced by the earlier poet's imagery, he was n... Read more

In the following essay, Nurnberg contrasts poems by Gautier and Alfred de Musset with similar subject matter—the recounting of a bittersweet, chance encounter with idealized beauty—in or... Read more

In the following essay, Burnett discusses the evolving role of the poem-as-architecture in Gautier's La comédie de la mort In 1838 Théophile Gautier published a collection of poet... Read more

In the following essay, Schick explores the ironic and seductive effects of Albertus's intratextual weaving. Theophile Gautier's talent as a storyteller is much more readily appreciated ... Read more

The Beautiful Vampire - A tale of sin and atonement? In Theophile Gautier's The Beautiful Vampire, he is very subtle in presenting the sins committed. Although all of the characters in this story ... Read more