Jules Laforgue (1860-1887):

Life
 Born in Uruguay but educated at l’École des Beaux-Arts in Paris.
 Was greatly influenced by Tristan Corbière, Arthur Rimbaud, and German philosopher
Arthur Schopenhauer
 Suffered from poverty, consumption, and chronic pessimism throughout his entire life.
 Championed and critiqued the Impressionists. His critical essays and art reviews are of as
much weight as his poetry
 Became the reader to the German Empress Augusta for five years.
 Married an English woman in London, moved back to Paris, then died of tuberculosis within
a year afterwards when he was only 27.

Poetry
 Like Verlaine, he was drawn to vers impairs and lyricism in general.
 Obsessed with notions of death, loneliness, and ennui
 One of the most well-known forgers of vers libre, where lines vary in length according to the
feeling of the poem, stanzas are generally replaced by complete sentences, and rhymes are
optional
 He is considered a Symbolist poet, but his works went on to influence the Surrealists
 His poetry is characterized by
o Bitter irony–particularly towards women
o Lyricism and vers impairs similar to Verlaine
o Experimentation and invention of new words similar to Rimbaud
o Expressions of loneliness and ennui as well as an obsession with death

Source:
Burnshaw, Stanley. The Poem Itself. Fayetteville, University of Arkansas Press, 1995.

“Jules Laforgue.” Encylopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jules-Laforgue. Date Accessed 15 February 2020.
 Jules Laforgue
Complainte sur certains ennuis
 « Un couchant des Cosmogonies! » is a succinct summary of the poem’s message. A
cosmogony is a story of the creation of Earth and how it came to be in a beautiful and
ordered state. The sun is setting on these cosmogonies for Laforgue because his fundamental
misunderstanding of the opposite sex is inconsistent with any explanation of why men and
women couple together. Later on, he wonders « par quels gâchi suresthétiques » he is
attracted to women while being so disdainful of them at the same time.
 Laforgue’s use of capitalization in this poem is unique. « Cosmogonies », « Vie »,
« Silence » all begin with a capital and seem to indicate major players in Laforgue’s
perception of the world. If he were a philosopher, these would be the keywords he would
define to build the foundation of his theory. They also stick out in stark contrast to
« suresthétique » which is left un-capitalized despite playing placeholder for God, or Mother
Nature, or some other divine authority who would create a world where men are drawn to
women. Additionally, the absent-minded maiden screams that her lost ring is « un souvenir
D’AMOUR ». Laforgue is clearly mocking her sentiment, overemphasizing what he seems to
think is an abuse of the word.

Jules Laforgue
Locutions des Pierrots
 Pierrot as a character underwent many reimaginings throughout the 19th and early 20th
century. For the symbolists, he was seen as a relatable, persecuted artist who was unfairly
overlooked by his love interest. Laforgue’s rejection on the basis of being a poet without
principles stokes the association.
 I think these poems are hilarious and very sad. The bitterness ventures far into the ridiculous,
and his sense of entitlement is off-putting if I think too hard about it. He rightly holds poetry
in high regard, so the irony of his attraction to every women who ridicules poets is tragically
humorous.
 « Avec un monsieur / Ce qu’il y a de mieux / Mais pauvre en génie » goes beyond the
average playground insult. I would not have wanted to get on Laforgue’s bad side.
 Jules Laforgue
Locutions des Pierrots (XVI)
 Here we see a more cynical and artistic interpretation of the character Pierrot. This Pierrot is
less concerned with his unrequited love for Harlequin and instead sadly and sarcastically
meditates on his dreams of being an artist. I appreciate the comedic aspects of these poems
because I can’t really draw the line on which points Laforgue takes seriously and which he
ridicules. Is he crestfallen by the seeming endless « ronds dans les bassins » in pursuit of
some noble end of poetry, or is simply blowing raspberries to the poets who have come
before him? In all of this, is he differentiating himself from the other arrogant, blasphemous
poets, or is he acknowledging his own role in the poetic tradition?
 I can see the precursor to the vers libre in these shorter poems. The mechanics of the poem
are more conversational than anything introduced so far. The dash in line 7, the interjection
and affirmation of line 9, and the rhetorical questions in the last stanza form the idea that
Laforgue is speaking out loud to himself. It is almost theatrical and gives greater justification
to the title’s indication that these are the locutions of Pierrot.

Jules Laforgue
Pierrots (On a des Principes)
 Once again the versification of the poem is clearly a stepping stone to vers libre.
Interjections, exclamations, questions, enjambments, and the dense punctuation throughout
the poem place greater emphasis on the complete idea of the speaker rather than line or
stanza.
 Laforgue’s comedy is at play in each response to the feminine speaker. In the first stanza, he
mocks the bourgeois woman for her misunderstanding of art and her recently-acquired
fortune that has not made her rich in culture or mind. In the second, he makes fun of her lack
of confidence as evidence of a wasted education.
o Following this lighter banter, Laforgue unexpectedly kills her off in a great betrayal
of expectations and indulgently rewards himself for it. He mocks the religious
sentiment of the bourgeois by declaring that she will be resurrected in three days, but
not truly.
o This poor excuse for the feminine ideal will only exist as hints in the pleasures of
women around him. Men, including Laforgue, have no choice but to chase after each
poor reflection of the ultimate comfort of women.
 The structure of the poem is interesting. The mix of alexandrine and octosyllabic lines flows
better than I would have assumed. The line at the end of each stanza is the strongest,
delivering the most powerful irony against both the female speaker and poet. The reduction
in syllables allows for a pithy punch of sarcasm that would have to be stretched out over a
longer line in a more traditional form.
 By introducing, mocking, killing off, then acknowledging his own pursuit of mere glimpses
of this woman, Laforgue simultaneously affirms his principles as a poetic genius and the
Pierrot-like clownishness of his pursuits.