“Chant d’été”: An Original Poem in the Style of Charles Baudelaire
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
World Languages & Cultures
Faculty Mentor
Anna Igou, Ph.D. and Scott Shinabargar, Ph.D.
Abstract
Why does poetry matter? Poetry touches the deepest parts of the human experience, and when reading Baudelaire’s “Chant d’automne,” I felt as though it had touched my heart in an indescribable way. Charles Baudelaire was a nineteenth century French poet who gained world renown through his own writing and translations of the works of Poe and is seen by many as the father of modern poetry. “Chant d’automne” is a part of Baudelaire’s book Les Fleurs du Mal and is written using a very traditional structure; however, the themes, imagery, and tone of the poem create a modern feel for the reader. When writing “Chant d’été,” I mimicked Baudelaire’s stanza length, rhyme, and meter while drawing upon my own feelings and experiences in order to individualize the poetic content. Baudelaire exemplifies his grief and dismay at the arrival of autumn through nature imagery, metaphor, and an emphasis on the senses. I incorporated these aspects into my own writing. I drew upon my childhood at the beach, using warm, coastal imagery, as opposed to the cool, shadowy imagery of Baudelaire. Writing this poem showed me the differences between French poetry and English or American poetry, especially the use of the alexandrine, a type of meter that has not been prominent in English literature since before Shakespeare’s time, when iambic pentameter gained overwhelming popularity. The juxtaposition between Baudelaire’s formal structure and alexandrine meter and his modern, introspective poetic content drew me to “Chant d’automne,” and eventually inspired my own original poem.
Start Date
24-4-2015 2:20 PM
“Chant d’été”: An Original Poem in the Style of Charles Baudelaire
DiGiorgio Campus Center, Room 221
Why does poetry matter? Poetry touches the deepest parts of the human experience, and when reading Baudelaire’s “Chant d’automne,” I felt as though it had touched my heart in an indescribable way. Charles Baudelaire was a nineteenth century French poet who gained world renown through his own writing and translations of the works of Poe and is seen by many as the father of modern poetry. “Chant d’automne” is a part of Baudelaire’s book Les Fleurs du Mal and is written using a very traditional structure; however, the themes, imagery, and tone of the poem create a modern feel for the reader. When writing “Chant d’été,” I mimicked Baudelaire’s stanza length, rhyme, and meter while drawing upon my own feelings and experiences in order to individualize the poetic content. Baudelaire exemplifies his grief and dismay at the arrival of autumn through nature imagery, metaphor, and an emphasis on the senses. I incorporated these aspects into my own writing. I drew upon my childhood at the beach, using warm, coastal imagery, as opposed to the cool, shadowy imagery of Baudelaire. Writing this poem showed me the differences between French poetry and English or American poetry, especially the use of the alexandrine, a type of meter that has not been prominent in English literature since before Shakespeare’s time, when iambic pentameter gained overwhelming popularity. The juxtaposition between Baudelaire’s formal structure and alexandrine meter and his modern, introspective poetic content drew me to “Chant d’automne,” and eventually inspired my own original poem.
