La versification Verlainienne ou la prosodie de l'indécidabilité

Abstract

This thesis is divided into three main sections: an introduction, a study of Verlaine's use of metres and a study of a number of specific poems from Verlaine's complete works. The introduction has two parts. The first considers the definitions of the French verse-line provided by 19th century theorists such as Ténint and Banville. The period during which the first collections of Verlaine's poetry were published, viz. the late 1860s and early 1870s is identified as a key period in the development of French poetry. In evaluating 19th-century prosodic practice and theory, the work of a number of 20th century analysts proves useful. Definitions of the caesura, the concepts of rhythm and metre and the role of rhyme are provided and examined. Particular consideration is given to the recent work of Benoit de Cornulier and his emphasis on the contextual element in the definition of the French-verse line.