Charles Baudelaire's place among the great poets of the Western world is undisputed, and his influence on the development of poetry since his lifetime has been enormous. In this Companion, essays by outstanding scholars illuminate Baudelaire's writing both for the lay reader and for specialists. In addition to a survey of his life and a study of his social context, the volume includes essays on his verse and prose, analyzing the extraordinary power and effectiveness of his language and style, his exploration of intoxicants like wine and opium, and his art and literary criticism. The volume also discusses the difficulties, successes and failures of translating his poetry and his continuing power to move his readers. Featuring a guide to further reading and a chronology, this Companion provides students and scholars of Baudelaire and of nineteenth-century French and European literature with a comprehensive and stimulating overview of this extraordinary poet.
Contents
Charles Baudelaire, a life in writing / John E. Jackson Baudelaire's politics / Dolf Oehler Baudelaire's poetic journey in Les fleurs du mal / Barbara Wright Baudelaire's versification : conservative or radical? / Rachel Killick The prose poems / Sonya Stephens Baudelairean ethics / Edward K. Kaplan Baudelaire's Paris / Ross Chambers Baudelaire and intoxicants / E. S. Burt Art and its representation / J. A. Hiddleston Music and theatre / Margaret Miner Baudelaire's literary criticism / Rosemary Lloyd Baudelaire's place in literary and cultural history / Beryl Schlossman A woman reading Baudelaire / Mary Ann Caws Translating Baudelaire / Clive Scott The stroll and preparation for departure / Judith Vollmer Afterword / Claude Pichois.