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 Malwere 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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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 22 November 2024.]
