Final Critique
The topic of this critique about Charles Baudelaire is kind of an insight into the background of his life. His life was filled with an immense amount of mental and physical suffering. Charles was an alcoholic and had lots of drug addictions. He seemed to dwell in his own problems and self-pity (p. 93).
In the poem “The Dog and the Scent Bottle” there are examples of his self-regard. This poem explained how his life went up and down and all the problems he had to overcome. It is noted to be “garbage” and was rejected (as he was in life). Another example of his vulgar techniques is found in the poem “Carrion”. His idea of transgressed existence is interpreted through a rotting carcass of what appears of what appears to be a mule (p. 157). It’s a great example he uses to express his feelings towards this. His writing is hard to figure out and that’s why you have to read in between the lines.
Baudelaire does however, take the time to indulge in his own addictions. “The Soul of Wine”, is his way of putting the bottle on a pedestal. He analyzes the contours of the bottle and refers to the wine itself as “the savior of mankind”.
The method and development of this essay is somewhat sinister. The critic uses negativity and sarcasm to portray Baudelaire’s style. I feel as though uses his own life and experiences to influence his writings (as do most...
Criticizing the cruelty of society, Baudelaire begins his book, Flowers of Evil, with a warning. To foreshadow the disturbing contents that his book focuses on, Baudelaire describes the unpleasant traits of men. Lured by the words of the Devil, people victimize others. Grotesque images of torture and swarming maggots exemplifies the horrors of our actions. Yes, our actions. Baudelaire puts shame to every human, including the reader, through the word “ours.” Humiliated, the reader dare not to allow himself to be guilty with the worst sin – boredom. Separated by dashes, the last sentence commands the reader to choose whether to fall to the worst or save himself a little bit of dignity. Accused and challenged, the reader is pressured to ponder
The novel is nurtured with a very soft but sophisticated diction. The essay itself portrays the author’s style of sarcasm and explains his points in a very clear manner. In addition, the author has used vocabulary that is very easy to understand and manages to relate the readers with his simplistic words. The author is able to convey a strong and provoc...
For example, his use of negative imagery suggest that he has a drunk father. Hence in the first two lines of the poem. “ The whiskey on your breath
Bennett, Andrew and Nicholas Royle. Introduction to Literature, Criticism and Theory. 2nd Edition. New York: Prentice Hall, 1999.
The solid argument base represented by this author can be authenticated by scholars Foucault, Goffman, Zizek and Fanon. She was influenced by the social issues of the time when she wrote the story. This helped strengthen the meaning behind the poem not only from her knowledge but also her personal experience with these social issues and how she came face to face with dealing with
The essay is written in a very critical style where the reader will feel like they have been wast...
In Rabelais' second novel, Gargantua, the author begins the text with a Prologue in which he clearly states that his writing is destined specifically to drinkers and free lovers, " Buveurs très illustres et vous, vérolés très précieux (c'est à vous, à personne d'autre que sont dédiés mes écrits) ". His works are for those who drink freely and greatly, for those who are thirsty. The drink, however, is not limited to the alcohol which is highly praised on the surface, but is also an elixir containing knowledge; for, in the works of Rabelais, nothing is as it seems. Rabelais challenges his readers to " rompre l'os et sucer la substantifique moelle " of his textes. One could thus conclude that his buveurs très illustres are in reality s...
Cartier-Bresson traveled the world so that he may document and present to others the human condition. His photographs transcend any particular time or place. Instead, they capture the very essence of life, be it Harlem, Madrid, Shanghai or the Paris rue Mouffetard (Ill. 2)4. In rural Europe, silent in the absence of the engine, and where everything was still done by animals and human beings, he portrays, unaltered, a society's captivating traits. At times his poetic intention towards subject matter is inadvertently socially charged, which makes his work all the more intriguing5. Each of Cartier-Bresson's photographs presents itself not as part of a series, an archive selected among others, but as a singular work of art which, with its own formal qualities and unique meanings, exists in itself.
Debussy’s Impressionist style shines through in Pierrot, one of the many Lieds written by the established composer. Debussy was famous for his interesting and new forms of tonality. Debussy was able to create a piece focused on sound and its emotional reaction with Pierrot. His use of unconventional scales creates a sound unique to Impressionism and Symbolism, the French literary contemporary to Impressionist music. The piece consists of four themes, and they are played and repeated in an interesting order that will be discussed later. The themes themselves are similar, but definitely distinct in their sound. There is a certain dissonance that resounds through all of them, but it does not have the effect of making the piece hard to follow. Dissonance can often have this effect, but the dissonance in this...
Bearing these perspectives in mind, this essay will examine the metafictional traits found in Flaubert's Parrot and in John Fowles' The French Lieutenant's Woman, before comparing these with the elements of realism in Isaac Singer's The Family Moskat. By considering the advantages and disadvantages of these novelistic schools of thought, it shall then be demonstrated that the reader's own views on Life and Art may determine the value one assigns to these alternative styles.
Baudelaire, C. & Mayne, J. (1995). The painter of modern life and other essays. London: Phaidon Press.
Michel Foucault (1926 – 1984) dealt with many aspects of social philosophy during his career, but it is his philosophy surrounding the role and dominance of the author in modern literature that this essay aims to deal with. From the 19th century onwards, Foucault notices that through social and political frameworks, the presence of an author vastly dominates the content and categorisation of any publication of that author. He also throws into question the idea of when an author becomes an author and what writings that he produces should become known as his work. The example he gives refers to items such as letters of correspondence or even simple lists that although might have been constructed by the same author of a canonical text, are not recognised as works of literature. What makes works of literature stand out is the content. Indeed, if one can recognise some basic principles of an authors works that may be used to relate previously anonymously published work, does that not disprove the existence of an original author. Foucault argues that when these common principles are identified (he himself recognises four in this essay) another could simply produce identically styled work according to these, thus rendering the author obsolete. When considering Marx or Freud who both claim in their work that an individual is only a component of the unconsciousness or political agenda, how can an author as an individual even exist? He recognises the author as a fleeting figure, only known through the “singularity of his absence and his link to death” (p.1624) and thereby questions further the role of the individual.
Firstly he uses a sharp contrast in his tone. This is particularly evident in his poem 'September 1913'. He starts by attacking the greedy uncultured people of Ireland, especially the shopkeepers who “add the halfpence to the pence”. He uses adjectives such as “greasy” and “shivering” to help portray his feelings of disgust and vexation. This gives the stanza a reproachful tone. At the end of the stanza he introduces the refrain:
His first statement is that “Literary criticism is a description and evaluation of its object” (Brooks 19). The literary critic reports on the work that he is criticizing and picks out the meaning that he deems important, which might be different from what the next critic would pick out. To describe the work it is therefore already a subjective exercise, such as in Doctor Faustus, in the A-version of the text, some people ...
... painting Figures on Rocks at the Edge of the Sea. Life is found to be problematic if lived at either extreme, a midpoint of some type must be established. A dynamic state of oscillation, the best environment for the cultivation of creativity, would have prevented Gustave's uncontrollable exhibition of previously inhibited Dionysian qualities. The ideal state for the production of art and living in general seems to be a mixture of art, mind, and life.