The Symbolist Movement

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The Symbolist movement was first distinguished in literature (Boston College). It was not until later that art was accepted as Symbolist. According to Hardy in his lecture, “Symbolism is literary movement – primarily poetic that is focused inward and connected with words that reflect represent reality.” Jean Moréas wrote the Symbolist Manifesto in 1886 (Boston College). Boston College says, “Symbolism was an idealistic movement, created by artists discontented with their culture.” Symbolist suggested their meanings. They would not come right out and say what they meant. They believed words were insufficient (Hardy). Since Symbolist believed words were insufficient, they used symbolic allusion to get their messages across to the reader. Symbolist beliefs and literary techniques are what Symbolist poets used to make their literary movement distinct from all other movements before its time.
Symbolist Poets looked at language as an insufficient to truly capture reality; therefore, they used symbolic allusions to recreate reality (Hardy). Symbolic allusions are constructions of symbols to that express what is seen or felt (Hardy). Hardy says that Symbolists also like to use synesthesia in their poems; synesthesia is the use of language generally associated with one type of imagery to describe a different type of imagery. These techniques are what helped symbolist get their points across. Symbolist poets had virtually no boundaries when writing their poems. Symbolist poetry often included some type of explicit material or allusion. This was unlike any major literary movement before. Before this literary movement the word “nose” was not even supposed to be used in poetry, but Baudelaire uses wording like “pissing hogwash” and “lecherou...

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...ke down the boundaries that were set in place by the Enlightenment Thinkers, Romantics, and all other generations before them. They broke these boundaries with the verboten language and literary techniques that they used. The Symbolists used these things in ways that had never been done before. Symbolists used these literary techniques to express their unique beliefs. The Symbolists’ literary techniques and beliefs are what made the movement distinct from all others.

Works Cited

"Symbolist Art -- Introduction." Symbolist Art -- Introduction. Boston College, n.d. Web. 05 May 2014.
Baudelaire, Charles. “A Carcass.” Puchner. 471-72.
Baudelaire, Charles. “To the Reader.” Puchner. 468-69.
Hardy, Ben “Symbolism.” Blue Ridge Community College. 12 February 2014
Puchner, Martin. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Third ed. Vol. E. New York: Norton, 2012. Print.

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