[For Perse] symbolic and individual man, that is Man the species and man the solitary male human being, share many of the same qualities, and … these vary little throughout the poetry. Furthermore, it is in the light of his own conception of himself as a man that Perse perceives the outside world, the 'other' that, whether woman, earth, sea or muse, takes on a feminine aspect. (p. 555)

[By] placing between himself and the world a screen of praise, Perse maintains both his solitude and his liberty, preserving himself from involvement with a kind of diplomatic immunity. This situation is that of man throughout Perse's work; 'gardé par le sourire et par la courtoisie' …, he can tour the world at his leisure; his relationship with it is held at one remove, and he cannot be imprisoned in the immobility that he holds to be so dangerous to the human...