Lecture de quelques "chansons bas" de Mallarmé

In his essay, "Mallarmé and the visual arts," Lloyd Austin devotes interesting pages to the "Chansons bas": he links them to the Raffaëlli illustrations. Some of the pieces can be seen in a new light by associating them with texts by Banville. The analogy that he establishes between the stone breaker and the writer is important for any reading of "Le Cantonnier." The sonnets can also be approached from another point of view. "La Marchande d'herbes aromatiques" can be read as a parody and "Le Savetier" as a nostalgic yearning for the life of Virgil's shepherds who composed songs wandering barefoot through the countryside. (In French) (PH)