The formal rhythms of Mallarmé's faun

Code, D.J. (2004) The formal rhythms of Mallarmé's faun. Representations, 86, pp. 73-119. (doi: 10.1525/rep.2004.86.1.73)

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Publisher's URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/rep.2004.86.1.73

Abstract

The eclogue <i>L'Après-midi d'un faune</i> has long been seen as a breakthrough to the mature "symbolist" phase of Mallarmé's oeuvre. Clichés about the "mystery" essential to symbolist poetic style have, however, forestalled rigorous analysis of the work's structure. Exposing a formal "rhythm" that draws the strophic sections into a pattern of virtual "folios and bifolios," this article reads the faun eclogue as a secret model of "le Livre," "the Book," lodestar of Mallarmé's aesthetic project. In giving new focus to the work's pointed dialogue with classical Virgilian pastoral, this reading also draws on Benveniste's writings about linguistic subjectivity to understand its enactment, through the character of the faun, of an agonistic search for voiced presence.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Code, Dr David
Authors: Code, D.J.
Subjects:M Music and Books on Music > M Music
College/School:College of Arts & Humanities > School of Culture and Creative Arts > Music
Journal Name:Representations
ISSN:0734-6018
ISSN (Online):1533-855X
Published Online:13 October 2004

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