THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA GRADUATE SCHOOL Report of Committee on Thesis The undersigned, acting as a Ct:>mmittee of the Graduate School, have read the accompanying thesis submitted by Malcolm Fisk Farley for the degree of Master of Arts. They approve it as a thesis meeting the require­ ments of the Graduate School of the University of [innesota, and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of li:aster of Arts. ______J_ (, _de ~ Chairman 10-20 5M THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA GRADUATE SCHOOL Report of Committee on Examination This· is to certify that we the undersigned, as a committee of tte Graduate School, have given alcolm Fisk Farley final oral examination for the degree of kaster of Arts We recommend that the degree of Master of Arts be conferred upon the candidate. far~~~ 'Chairman 10-20 SM T I T L E 0 F T H E S I S Leconte de Lisle and The Hellenistic Ele~ents in His Poetry A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the University of Jinneaota by :Jalcolm F. Farley In p ~ rtial fulfill ent of the requirements for the ' egree of l\!E'.ster of Arts June 1922 : : !•,: :·. ,' :·· :·· ,•,: ·:· •• •'• ..• 1 : : : •, : : ff: : f ! 1 1 I I, : : 'c/ I t: f II I 4 I f Ill I f 1 t 1 I I I 'i,1': : : :··. ;'1 ,', :··. :It::,<':',f I Ill ffl IIf ( ,',,t I : ll Leconte de Lisle 3050S1 "Leconte de Lisle" an The Hellenistic Elenents in his Poetry. Int re :v.ction. (E) tsccnte -e Li..,le 1s Centur~ II. Greek Tragedy an· its relation to Leconte de Lisle. (c.) Ori.:;i of Gr..::ek tr~eu.y etc. etc. (b) Ch r:- cter of St<:.;;,e ....n .... .:'.ctcr.:i. ( c) Leccnte d.e Lisle :..nd. 11 ~ eme~i.., 11 , t~1e c. r-=.i:. ~-1 i 1.ea cf Cre::il: Tr~.:;e..:y. (.:.) Subject i...:itter of the Greok ilriter..,. (e) :Te:-.1e •.Ji3 in l•O'.-chylue: , h:'... Trilo_:: . • III. 11 Ler:. :::rim1yes" i Aevch7lus, (<.)Leconte .... e Lisle ' s ,oint of de ::..rture fro Aecchylus. The I<;_ Br.1..f u. IV. "L' A olloni:e11 --the e~ resoi on of Leconte de Lisle' o 11 I"e· l of Greek Be.:..:ityn . (~) .. )" he ·.:ent to Euri. i-e' ;;) "Ion" as (.;;.. source. (b) Su ject ;att0r of L' A: ollonL.e e.n.: I on . Difference of h.nilinz;. () A;;e of E.ri~. i :.es-- -ecc:·ent fron: Leconte :e Lisle' s oint of vie1. Why? ( .) l! eschyL.. ,--the .ac:.el. ( e) C: anga5 betv1een Euri,. ii..ef.i , ...... Leconte ... a LLle. Use of c orus etc •..... (!) I.:eal of Greek ... e"-..<ty,--TLe ::usas, their function ~.n Greece ' ~ :.. i ~ion for e.11 D-gas . -~~ . T:.e P~ rn~os · ~·· Sc loo:. ( ) I- erso:-lity, ~t.., connotation. VI. t1Les ?o~ ....e3 .Anti (a) r:n tie. (b) Jnl.l.;. dt:i :...no. ( c) Statues ... 11e , plastic ne.ture of the e verses etc. Perfection of vor e an_ !cnn . (-) Le~ o~e~ Anacreontiques.--La Cou;_-e , Greece re urr~cte~ . ( e) Le V -01 --::J.:eilles Anti ues. ·~t' ~6~ Lt. in,,· , -- -~y ....'i :: . (£) '!':':le .leY· n-=.rk:. Po,.,ts , T~. ocri tus, :a.:.on, :1cs .... hus. (:, ':'he lo~ser rioe." ... c £ 11 r.e, ".)o':.:..es 1.~ti...,ues 111 G:· ttce,--an:i t:1e ot1er_,. (!..) 'i'ro..: lntions o: t: e nc1as .. L,..,11 , II· :en.anis n.l Pe:::.,.i'!!!i !!! in L conte · e Linla . ! •. Intro.:.ucJdon . (-) Outlins. :..1) C:.il.:hoo.:,-- ha ....a Bourbc . C0 ( ) Co::.le~e lif ,--hi., wi t tc ~h.. io:-. Cl1r.:. tL. i ty. III. B. 11 L.:;. Pa ~ion 11. 67 - 71 (a) Its cin~yrity . 69 - (b) Its ho1~e. 69 -70 ( c) T:.e evolution n~: ch nge to 11 Pessi misrn. 11 • 79-71 C. Hihilic~ :.ni Peszimism. 71-78 (.,.) --C-;.t:,...i:;.tance \:it:i Fer.:in£".ncl. .:..e Le.noye. 71-72 (t) Evolution of i~fluenCt;--- . Hin·oo, Ino.icn, "!ree::C i n.:', Latin, Stoicim:., et~ :. o~am ,-- Tc.i...'10 ".. n •. otheri;; . :.:.:.ta rial is . 72-74 ( c) "Beauty" ,--t"1e nsavir:g Grace11 • 74-75 Leconte _e Li~le 0sca:.l:'es ::.:c-o ·1.1to pe;;;_, i· i:>m thr:::, u:;,:1 :1iS I(,e:.l. (.:..) ~;o~e-- on pessii..if,tic ele snt, quotation, l;jt.:: . 75 - 78 'III . Survey o! Leconte ce Lisle1 3 ~ork . 78- 83 (a) So_e i~conce:tions . 73 - (o) -~l .... c.n iL.:... l ..n. :·~ ture oe:.. £: . 78- 80 (c) Range an~ variety of his contributions . 0- 31 (l) His Pro..ie . l ­ (e) ~!iG ersom:.lpoe ... z . ~l- 88 11'.:'oi ;i;.r ;ui j 1ai So:'.lti. 11 ...... IX. Conclu..... ion . 83- 86 (a) neou. e cf "Pur::osG o. Th ,.; !.s 11 • 83 - ~4 (b) Ccncl"J.z i cn,--Z:::tir-.":.e cf Lecc:1t3 e LLle 1 ~ :ork ~.n.: tPniu:-;. E' ~ - 86 1-13 1- b 1 orks . 1- 3 '.i'r.::.:;slations ..,f .::i.., :-oe~:s in perio .... ice.ls . 3- .... ontss ..,: Pre.,_,, ?re:... ia:r..is Poesies et Let"'~res Inti .e ... 4- II. R .... f rences,---Boc::., . 4- 10 III. Rf ~ r ence ,---Perio-ic l~. 10-15 IV. ,..,..,:1eral Bib · og~.. -•Y . 15- 18 A. O··Gre· If eiCt; . B. I .. i a a:d. i ... col... ~- eo .... ;;1. 16- C. On t: e '"'"rm.. .,_:. .. Sc ool . 17-18 (.) ~f~rece . 17- (b) P~:rL~i ues. 17-18 Leconte e J;isle :::.nd The Hellenistic Elements In His Poetry. No apology is necessary for attempting to tre~t in any way the work of a poet at once so much neglecte and of such greatness as th~t of Leconte de Lisle. Perhaps the cause for this neglect has been and is, the way of approach. ilo cuthor has been more a product of his century. At the same time, no genius has been more influenced in what he wrote ana yet has seeme to reflect dirvctly less of the tendencies of his age than this sa:ne Leco'nte de Lisle. To ascertain the cause of thia apparent paradox which after all is largely the starting point of the Hel~enistic Elements will be our first task. The France of Leconte de Lisle was not the France of Racine, Corneille, foliere · n · a score of other:i. It was not the France of L1 H6tel de Ram- bouillet. It 1as not the France of a time when the ~hole city of Paris came out to see Andromache, Le Cid, or L1Avare . The society of Paris was not a society truthfully interested in Art an~ Litera.ture. L' Hotel e Rambouillet had beco·e an 11 H0tel" ;here oney, realth, intrigue, factories, business, plants, were the subject of interest and discussion. Materialism, greej for money , thet most cursed of all sins, and the seat of all, was fast getting hold oi society. The scientific develop ents of the eighteenth century had turned the thoughts and interests of all towards the quest of knowledge an~ t t kno ile..:ge came to be a knowle ge that had as its sole en·, more money, m...o;.t rial developr..snt. The culture liter ture seeki.g society of the seventeenth century an the science seeki g society of the eighteenta century were re laced by the money grabb re of the nineteenth century. The greed for money came to be the curse of the century, as it is today, an to rep ace al~ desire for the ore spiritiul things, for art, for literature. e ho.ve Alexan re Dumas app reci::. ting the evil ano. ende"' voring to co~bat the fast gr owing materialiso by his works for the tneatre. "La quest ion "2" d 1Argent 11 and many other plays de:-.. l with this problem. D~s was hopeful. As yet m terialism was not fatal. He wanted to strike in time. Augier in his 11 Un 3eau .- ri::-.ge" makes another drive at t!1.e fast spreading plague. But he too is optimistic and suggests a remedy . In Henry Becque, 11 Les Corbeaux, 11 an1 Eugene Brieux, 11 La Robe Rouge", we have t'i1e plague exposed with all its hideous rounds wi~e anu gaping, fest red and rr.attered and unclean. Hideous they a r~, but true to life. ith Brieux and Becque we see no remedy . All is pessimis~ There is no hope offered. The disease is fatal, incurable. Drama treated the roblem. The realistic authors tri~d to save t: e French Ideal from the realistic tendencies, foe materialistic tendencies in life. Dumas and Augier still strove for the ideal. They tiaintained the ideal in their works ev n thoush forced tc compromise. T:iis was not true of others . !!a y there were who fell under the spell of mahrialism and co::.r~rcialism . In Brieux an Becque we have the realistic picture, but there is no solution offered. The hope is al l gone . Thus we understand the exaggerated material- is~ of men like Flaubert and Maupas ant. Do we not all understand better the pessimism and dis.couragement which led an i ealist like Leconte de Lisle to write sue: poet:lS as L' Illusion SuprSme, Les Si~cl es uiits, L 1 Anath~me ani other ? But for Leconte de Lisle there 7as no such thing as coapromise. While other 1ritera Nere cot:tpro!!lising, succu.":lbing to, or falli gun er t:1e force of the ~ terialistio spell, Leconte de Lisle, true genil.lB, rose abov~ it and seeking re .