'Telling Tales - Narrative Patterns in Rimbaud's 'Conte', 'Royauté' and 'Aube''

Gerald M Macklin

'Telling Tales - Narrative Patterns in Rimbaud's 'Conte', 'Royauté' and 'Aube''

Gerald M Macklin

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Abstract

This article looks in detail at three poems from Rimbaud's ILLUMINATIONS which illustrate his predilection for constructing prose poems on the basis of the fairy tale genre. In the process he both complies with and deviates from the norms of the genre such as happy endings, fairy tale characters, once upon a time introductions and so on. The study draws upon analyses conducted by other Rimbaud scholars on 'Conte', 'Royauté' and 'Aube' and examines each of the three texts in turn. It looks at thematic content but, more significantly, issues of technical importance and poetic composition. Thus, the study of 'Conte' considers the Prince and Génie as fairy tale protagonists; the multiplicity of endings in the poem; the role of parody; the moral or message in the isolated last line; and the dislocation of narrative. In the case of 'Royauté' the paper again looks at royal personages; the truncated nature of the narrative; the theme of thwarted idealism and perfectionism; the introduction and finale; the recurring pattern of climax and anti-climax in the poem-tale. As for 'Aube', the paper again looks at switching lines of narrative; the characters of the goddess and the boy; the mysteries of the first person identity; the royal setting; the disruption of expectations concerning the fairy-tale genre. In summary, the paper highlights Rimbaud's transgressions against the genre and how he uses these to develop a particular type of prose poem.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	44-63
Journal	Orbis Litterarum
Volume	66
Issue number	1
Publication status	Published (in print/issue) - 1 Feb 2011

Bibliographical note

Reference text: Rimbaud Oeuvres ed. S. Bernard and A.Guyaux, Classiques Garnier, Paris, 1987

Neal Oxenhandler Rimbaud, the Cost of Genius, Ohio State University Press, Columbus, 2009

Arthur Rimbaud Illuminations, ed .Nick Osmond, Athlone French Poets, Athlone Press, University of London, London, 1976

James Lawler Rimbaud's Theatre of the Self, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass. and London, 1992

Robert Greer Cohn The Poetry of Rimbaud, University of South Carolina Press, Columbia, 1999

P Hamon 'Narrativité et lisibilité. Essai d'analyse d'un texte de Rimbaud', POETIQUE, vol.40, 1979, pp.453-464

G Macklin 'Finding the formula: Perspectives on the one-liner in Arthur Rimbaud's Illuminations', FORUM FOR MODERN LANGUAGE STUDIES, vol.32, no. 4, 1996, pp.329-342

Sergio Sacchi Etudes sur les Illuminations de Rimbaud, Presses de l'Université de Paris-Sorbonne, Paris, 2002

Michel Murat L'Art de Rimbaud, José Corti, Paris, 2002

C A Hackett Rimbaud. A Critical Introduction, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1981

Jean-Pierre Richard Poésie et profondeur, Editions du Seuil, Paris, 1955

Karin Dilman The Subject in Rimbaud. From Self to 'Je', Peter Lang, New York, 1985

J Plessen Promenade et poésie. L'Expérience de la marche et du mouvement dans l'oeuvre de Rimbaud, Mouton, The Hague and Paris, 1967

G Macklin 'Manifestations of the self in Rimbaud's Illuminations', ORBIS LITTERARUM, vol. 50, 1995, pp.142-163

Adrianna M Paliyenko Misreading the Creative Impulse, Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale and Edwardsville, 1997

Keywords

fairytale
parody
prose poem
narrative
poetic structure

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title = "'Telling Tales - Narrative Patterns in Rimbaud's 'Conte', 'Royaut{\'e}' and 'Aube''",

abstract = "This article looks in detail at three poems from Rimbaud's ILLUMINATIONS which illustrate his predilection for constructing prose poems on the basis of the fairy tale genre. In the process he both complies with and deviates from the norms of the genre such as happy endings, fairy tale characters, once upon a time introductions and so on. The study draws upon analyses conducted by other Rimbaud scholars on 'Conte', 'Royaut{\'e}' and 'Aube' and examines each of the three texts in turn. It looks at thematic content but, more significantly, issues of technical importance and poetic composition. Thus, the study of 'Conte' considers the Prince and G{\'e}nie as fairy tale protagonists; the multiplicity of endings in the poem; the role of parody; the moral or message in the isolated last line; and the dislocation of narrative. In the case of 'Royaut{\'e}' the paper again looks at royal personages; the truncated nature of the narrative; the theme of thwarted idealism and perfectionism; the introduction and finale; the recurring pattern of climax and anti-climax in the poem-tale. As for 'Aube', the paper again looks at switching lines of narrative; the characters of the goddess and the boy; the mysteries of the first person identity; the royal setting; the disruption of expectations concerning the fairy-tale genre. In summary, the paper highlights Rimbaud's transgressions against the genre and how he uses these to develop a particular type of prose poem.",

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note = "Reference text: Rimbaud Oeuvres ed. S. Bernard and A.Guyaux, Classiques Garnier, Paris, 1987 Neal Oxenhandler Rimbaud, the Cost of Genius, Ohio State University Press, Columbus, 2009 Arthur Rimbaud Illuminations, ed .Nick Osmond, Athlone French Poets, Athlone Press, University of London, London, 1976 James Lawler Rimbaud's Theatre of the Self, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass. and London, 1992 Robert Greer Cohn The Poetry of Rimbaud, University of South Carolina Press, Columbia, 1999 P Hamon 'Narrativit{\'e} et lisibilit{\'e}. Essai d'analyse d'un texte de Rimbaud', POETIQUE, vol.40, 1979, pp.453-464 G Macklin 'Finding the formula: Perspectives on the one-liner in Arthur Rimbaud's Illuminations', FORUM FOR MODERN LANGUAGE STUDIES, vol.32, no. 4, 1996, pp.329-342 Sergio Sacchi Etudes sur les Illuminations de Rimbaud, Presses de l'Universit{\'e} de Paris-Sorbonne, Paris, 2002 Michel Murat L'Art de Rimbaud, Jos{\'e} Corti, Paris, 2002 C A Hackett Rimbaud. A Critical Introduction, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1981 Jean-Pierre Richard Po{\'e}sie et profondeur, Editions du Seuil, Paris, 1955 Karin Dilman The Subject in Rimbaud. From Self to 'Je', Peter Lang, New York, 1985 J Plessen Promenade et po{\'e}sie. L'Exp{\'e}rience de la marche et du mouvement dans l'oeuvre de Rimbaud, Mouton, The Hague and Paris, 1967 G Macklin 'Manifestations of the self in Rimbaud's Illuminations', ORBIS LITTERARUM, vol. 50, 1995, pp.142-163 Adrianna M Paliyenko Misreading the Creative Impulse, Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale and Edwardsville, 1997",

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'Telling Tales - Narrative Patterns in Rimbaud's 'Conte', 'Royauté' and 'Aube''

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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