Description
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Book Summary
This book explores the figure of Charles Baudelaire as a witness and chronicler of 19th-century modernity, focusing on his gaze upon the city of Paris. Through an analysis of his most lucid texts, the work unravels how the poet transformed the contradictions and ambiguities of urban life into subject matter for artistic reflection. The reader will find a critical reading that connects Baudelaire's poetry, journalism, and art criticism with the central themes of his time, offering a new perspective on his legacy.
What is it about?
The book starts from the death of Charles Baudelaire in 1867 to reconstruct his thinking on modernity, a concept that the author himself defined as ambiguous and elusive. The work focuses on Paris, the great capital of the second half of the 19th century, as the setting where the cultural changes of the era manifest most strikingly and contradictorily. Drawing from his contributions in poetry, prose, literary criticism, and journalism, the central themes addressed by Baudelaire, such as urban life, existential maladjustment, and material deprivation, are analyzed. The text delves into how the poet identified motifs and situations that became priorities of his reflection, offering an integral vision of his work and its context.
Main themes
- Artistic modernity and its contradictions in the 19th century.
- The city of Paris as a stage for cultural and social transformation.
- The figure of Charles Baudelaire as an art critic, poet, and journalist.
- The relationship between urban life, existential maladjustment, and artistic creation.
- The analysis of Baudelairean texts as a source of reflection on 19th-century culture.
Who is it recommended for?
This book is aimed at students, researchers, and enthusiasts of the history of art, literature, and 19th-century thought. It is also suitable for readers interested in the figure of Baudelaire beyond his poetry, as well as for those seeking to understand how the modern city becomes a central theme of artistic and cultural reflection.
What this book provides
- A detailed and contextualized vision of Baudelaire's work, integrating his poetry, criticism, and journalism.
- An analysis of modernity as an ambiguous concept, applied to the specific case of Paris in the 19th century.
- Keys to understanding how urban life and social contradictions influence artistic creation.
- A reading that connects Baudelaire's reflection with current themes in contemporary art and culture.
- Rigorous study material to delve into the work of one of the great references of modernity.
Technical specifications
- Author: Various authors
- Publisher: Ediciones Asimétricas
- Language: Spanish
- Topic: Arts general aspects, Forms of artistic expression, Artistic treatments and materials
- Collection: Art
- Binding: Paperback
- Edition date: November 2017
- Number of pages: 224
- Weight: 514 g
Editorial review
This is a work of interest for those seeking an academic and reflective approach to the figure of Baudelaire, far from biographical clichés. The book offers a solid analysis of how the city and modernity are intertwined in his thought, providing a useful perspective for both specialists and curious readers. Its focus on the author's lesser-known texts makes it a valuable tool for understanding the complexity of his artistic and critical legacy.