Charles Baudelaire, Les Fleurs du Mal [The Flowers of Evil]

Kenneth McKellar (University of Western Ontario)

Ed. by Tim Unwin, University of Bristol
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.5.2.05: French Writing and Culture: The Nineteenth-Century , 1800-1900.
Vol. editors: David Elwyn Evans (University of St Andrews), Edward Forman (University of Bristol), Elisabeth Gerwin (University of Lethbridge), Nigel Harkness (University of Newcastle upon Tyne), Tim Unwin (University of Bristol), David Williams (University of Sheffield), Jennifer Yee (University of Oxford)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1857

Places

France (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Poem collection

Resources

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Recommended Reading

Charles-Pierre Baudelaire’s volume of poetry,

Les Fleurs du Mal

[

The Flowers of Evil

], is without question one of the most important works of nineteenth-century French literature. Two editions of

Les Fleurs du Mal

were published during Baudelaire’s lifetime — the first in June 1857 and the second in February 1861, the latter considered to be the definitive edition as it was the last edition prepared by Baudelaire himself. However, a comparison of the differing architectures of the two editions sheds much light on Baudelaire’s spiritual and aesthetic evolution. The focus of the first edition is fixed primarily on the figure of the Poet and his preoccupations, whereas the focus of the second edition is greatly expanded and conveys a compassionate and more universal view of humanity.…

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3425 words

Citation: McKellar, Kenneth. "Les Fleurs du Mal". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 24 March 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=4029, accessed 19 April 2024.]

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