Lecture notes
Baudelaire Lecture 3 - Imagination : Subjectivity and Analogy
- Institution
- University Of Oxford
Lecture notes on Baudelaire's conception of imagination in Les Fleurs du Mal.
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
Content preview
Baudelaire Lecture 3- imagination + surnaturalisme = subjective response to world.
- Influenced by philo ideas of time, reacts against progress of time, engages with own
time, changes how we think imagination + metaphor. Baudelaire = intellectual.
Imagination in romanticism most extensively formulated by Baudelaire, images to
create meaning in writing. Self engaging with natural world (+urban environment).
Poems can start entirely in the mind, entirely fiction landscapes : Quote 1. Imagined
landscape conveys state of mind > physical representation in imagination of nega-
tive/barren state of mind. Also in Spleen poems.
- Or start in physical world and work way into mind, as conveys imagines response to
it : Quote 2. Connections made in form between external/ internal > rhymes + repe-
titions suggest continuity. Woman becomes landscape through imagination, faculty
that creates + grasps connections between self/external world : sound, metaphors
(underline). Imagination = affected by mood of speaker > world can be seen as
threatening (murder + violence) so subjectivity projects different character on world
at ≠ times.
- Quote 3 : Poe idea, but Baudelaire adopts too. Individual perceiving creations in
world + with self. Unity of world not from godly connections but through the imagi-
nation > but = individual human faculty, subject to individual’s limitations.
- Quote 4 : importance imagination in creating symbolic meaning, source morale ≠ in-
herent in things, brought about my poet crafting language.
- 2 different responses nature (natural world, not necessarily human nature). Baude-
laire thinks art not try to replicate reality, but transform it through imagination.
Many poems show interaction imagination + nature > Correspondances / Obses-
sions : show the threat + the beauty in ≠ perceptions.
- Correspondances : surnaturalist effect in form of poem > mysterious + profound
idea of nature (in most romantic writing). Title > Correspondances : surface connec-
tions actually mean deeper divine meaning, analysis of them. School thought where
our world = allegory for a realer spiritual world underneath > Quote 6 + 7 : world =
text to be deciphered (Hugo > Baudelaire admired for thinking about mystères of
the world, but Baudelaire ≠ : Quote 8 > poet = interpreter, relates idea spiritual
analogy to literary device : Quote 9). Metaphor no longer conventional concrete sign
for particular abstract ideas, but = chosen bc correspond exactly to specific idea.
Like Poe : effect can be created from calculated devices from poet, emphasis on pre-
cision. Rhetorical device creates symbolic meaning of nature for Baudelaire, not in-
herently there
- Vertical relationship nature + poetic style = celebrated. Whole question meaning
problematised in first quatrain. Man + world in first stanza > nothing spiritual be-
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller FEDFH. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £7.49. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
81113 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 14 years now