French Literature Reviews - 2026

B. Darbeau, Poésie et lyrisme.
Poetry and Poetics

Poésie et lyrisme. Anthologie. Introduction and commentary by Bertrand Darbeau, GF-Flammarion, coll. "Étonnants classiques", 2004. 134 p.

What is meant by "lyric poetry"? A work intended to be accompanied by a lyre? A subjective and personal form characterized by heightened personal emotion? From antiquity to the present day, lyric poetry has encompassed various realities: musicality, gradually taken over by words, was relegated to the background by the expression of an omnipresent self, which itself faced severe criticism following the Romantic era.

One thing is certain: lyricism is very much alive today, and indeed remains one of the most prominent trends in contemporary literary output...

Introduction:
History of lyricism
Lyricism, from music to voice
The lyric utterance

Anthology:
Apollinaire
Aragon
Baudelaire
Du Bellay
Bonnefoy
Charles d'Orléans
Cliff
Corbière
Flaubert
Goffette
Guillaume de Machaut
Hegel
Hugo
Labé
Laforgue
Lamartine
Mallarmé
Michaux
Nietzsche
Ponge
Réda
Rimbaud
Ronsard
Scève
Senghor
Stefan
Verlain
Villon
Virgile

Dossier:
The ode as the quintessential lyric form
The lyric register outside of verse
Bibliography
Glossary

From antiquity to the present day, lyric poetry has encompassed various realities, evolving from musical accompaniment to the expression of a subjective and personal form characterized by heightened emotion. The volume includes an introduction by Bertrand Darbeau, a commentary, an anthology featuring numerous authors from various periods, and a dossier dedicated to specific generic forms such as the ode.

Readers interested in the history of poetic forms and the evolution of lyrical expression may find this book relevant. The collection presents primary texts alongside contextual materials, illustrating how lyricism has persisted and transformed across different literary movements and historical periods.