French Literature Reviews - 2026

Th. Gautier, Complete Poetic Works
Poetry and Poetics

Théophile Gautier, Complete Poetic Works, edited by Michel Brix, Paris, Bartillat, 2004, LXI-931 pages

Overview:

This volume brings together for the first time all of Gautier's verse, including pieces omitted from the 1845 edition of "Poésies complètes" as well as his libertine poetry. Extensive appendices, featuring notably an essay by Henry James previously unpublished in French, round out the collection by outlining the critical reception of Gautier as a poet.

Théophile Gautier occupies a central place in nineteenth-century French literature, bridging romanticism and the Parnassian movement with his persistent emphasis on formal precision and aesthetic autonomy. The volume brings together for the first time all of Gautier's verse, including pieces omitted from the 1845 edition of Poésies complètes as well as his libertine poetry.

Extensive appendices, featuring notably an essay by Henry James previously unpublished in French, round out the collection by outlining the critical reception of Gautier as a poet. Readers interested in the development of French verse and the historical reception of nineteenth-century poetry may find it relevant.