Ambivalence and Fragmentation: Structural Similarities in the Work of C. F. Meyer and Baudelaire

The 1882 poetry collection of the Swiss writer Conrad Ferdinand Meyer (1825-1898) contains the first symbolist poems in German literature. But the significance of Meyer's work is still being questioned as the larger part of his work consists of historical novellas and conventional ballads. In order to define symbolist features in Meyer's style on a larger scale, a comparison with Baudelaire is necessary. In the absence of a direct influence the comparison focuses on similarities in the ways in which both writers perceive and depict their worlds. To the growing chaos of the modern world they react by emphasizing ambivalence and fragmentation. These similarities structure Meyer's and Baudelaire's poetic creation in general regardless of differences in genres, imagery and intensity of expression. (MB)