Symbolist Landscapes. The Place of Painting in the Poetry and Criticism of Mallarmé and His Circle

Abstract

This study has two main aims. The first is to inform about approaches to painting among the poets and critics who, during the years 1885-95, were associated with the French Symbolist movement. The second is to examine the relevance of the work of certain painters to the poetic theory and practice of Mallarmé, Kahn, and Jarry. The first aim may be called synchronic, for its focus is Albert Aurier's 1891 definition of Symbolism in painting, the needs to which it responded and the controversies to which it gave rise. But the second may be called diachronic, for the poetry and criticism of these poets are produced at three distinct moments in the movement's history: Mallarmé's break with the Parnassians in 1875; Kahn's involvement in the emerging Symbolism of 1886; and Jarry's deconstruction of Symbolist theories in 1894. This book, originally published in paperback in 1989 under the ISBN 978-0-947623-23-4, was made Open Access in 2024 as part of the MHRA Revivals programme.