The Reader in Rimbaud

I argue that the poet's reading of the works of others reflects on the way he perceives the reader of his own work, that the activity of reading does not hold a high value, and suggest that the poet is as interested in ventures in language as he is in establishing a spectacular relationship of power whereby the reader is forced into the position of the adoring fan of a cult figure. I conclude that in poems where the poet is seemingly inattentive to the presence of the reader, we have a glimpse of the poet's desire for unity and repose. (AI-P)