Arthur Symons, Silhouettes

James Dowthwaite (Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena)

Ed. by Andrew Radford, University of Glasgow
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.08: English Writing and Culture of the early Twentieth Century , 1900-1945.
Vol. editors: Chris Baldick (Goldsmiths College, University of London), Peter Childs (Birmingham Newman University), Louise McDonald (Birmingham Newman University), Andrew Radford (University of Glasgow)

Dates

First circulation or publication Jun 1892

Places

England (Country of Origin; Publication/ performance)

Genres and Modes

Poem collection

Resources

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Arthur Symons’s second collection of poetry,

Silhouettes

(1892), is a more experimental and masterful performance than his debut. This was certainly his impression, and he had high hopes for the volume, writing to Katherine Willard, to whom he dedicated the book, “ah what hopes I have of this new book – and how they will come tumbling down about me, I suppose” (

Letters

76). By this point, Symons had established himself as part of the upcoming literary scene in England. More importantly, however, the poems bear the fruits of his encounters with French symbolism. Symons had travelled to Paris in 1891 accompanying Havelock Ellis. There he met Paul Verlaine, Maurice Maeterlinck, Joris-Karl-Huysmans, Stéphane Mallarmé, and a number of other luminaries of French letters. Though all…

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2242 words

Citation: Dowthwaite, James. "Silhouettes". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 05 October 2023 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=39158, accessed 02 May 2024.]

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