Affinities and differences between Giovanni Pascoli and English and French poets

Abstract

Part I: The poet's life, character and spiritual development, 1855-1891. Life at Bologna, 1873-1882 - family tragedy - anarchism -Pascoli's sentimental mysticism begins to assert itself against the positivistic tendencies of his environment - cultural atmosphere of Bologna alien to him - spiritual isolation -condemnation of contemporary ideas. Affinities with Leopardi - differences in temperament and art - reasons why his inspiration could not have guided Pascoli to complete poetical expression - affinities between Pascoli and mystical romantic poets - interest in foreign literature - shares dominant characteristics of romanticism - differences between his qualities and ideals and those of many romantic poets. Foreign influence disputed by critics - inspiration of Poe and Galletti's assertion that Pascoli guided by him to foreign poets - evidence to support this theory, Part II : Affinities and differences between Pascoli and English and French poets: possible reminiscences from their poetry. Pascoli's conception of poetry, spontaneous expression of the poet's purest self revealed to him by emotion. Identification of "fanciullino" with "Imagination" of English romantic poets - found also in Baudelaire and Rimbaud - neo-platonism in Pascoli and other poets. Poetry of childhood in Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Coppee, Hugo and Pascoli. Broad conception of poetry - language - attitude towards nature. "Cosmic" poetry of Shelley, Lamartine, Byron, Wordsworth, Baudelaire, Hugo, Rimbaud - affinities, differences, possible reminiscences in Pascoli - preoccupation with evil in Pascoli and Hugo -obsession with death in Pascoli, Poe, Hugo, Baudelaire, Carducci, Maeterlinck - "romantic" atmosphere in Pascoli - mystic awe in poetry - Wordsworth Poetry, objectified dreams in Pascoli, German, English and French poets. Mystery and super-natural elements in Pascoli, Coleridge, Novalis, Baudelaire, French symbolists, Shelley, Poe, Maeterlinck, Hugo. Intuitions of mystery conveyed by symbol and music. Resemblance between Pascoli's use of symbolism and that of Rossetti and Hugo. Conclusion Pascoli has less affinity with French symbolists than with English romantic poets - nearest in spirit to Poe and Hugo -Pascoli's originality.