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The symbolist movement

The symbolist movement. Colm Humphreys. Characteristics of Symbolist Poetry. Symbolists believed that their work could represent absolute truth, but they sought to represent these truths indirectly

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The symbolist movement

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  1. The symbolist movement Colm Humphreys

  2. Characteristics of Symbolist Poetry • Symbolists believed that their work could represent absolute truth, but they sought to represent these truths indirectly • Played with conventional symbols and archetypes while also ascribing their own meanings to the symbolism infused into their work • Symbolist structure is based around grand, illogical intuition • Founded on ESSENTIALISM • Marked the beginning of a trend towards free verse poetry • Bridged the aestheticism of the Romantic period with the individuality of modernism

  3. Historical context • The Symbolist movement was based in Paris • Started in 1857 by Charles Baudelaire • Linked closely with decadence because of the lifestyles of many symbolist poets • Preceded by the Romantic Movement, the European Industrial Revolution, and the abolition of slavery in Europe

  4. Charles Baudelaire • (1821- 1867) • Wrote Les Fleurs du Mal in 1857 as a reaction to the increasing industrialization of Paris • Friend of Edgar Allen Poe, translated many of Poe’s works into French • Fathered the Symbolist Movement with his use of extended metaphor to illuminate “higher truths”

  5. Paul Verlaine • (1844- 1896) • Known as a decadent and a “cursed poet” • Published Romances sans Paroles in 1874 • Involved in an affair with Arthur Rimbaud, which culminated in Verlaine shooting Rimbaud in the hand and going to prison

  6. Arthur Rimbaud • (1854- 1891) • Only wrote poetry for five years of his life • Published The Drunken Boat in 1871 • Had a short and torrid affair with Paul Verlaine • Died of cancer

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