I have to turn in this research paper and I am not sure how to cite it in text as I have already giving the name and there is no page #. I believe the works cited is correct it's just the in text citing I don't know about. But if you see anything else wrong go ahead and beat me so I can correct it.
Symbolism in “The Afternoon of the faun”
Symbolism was a movement in the arts of the mid nineteenth century. It was mainly a reaction to Realism, an earlier movement that tended to focus on the reality of life with no real interpretations. The Symbolist took a more indirect approach with a vague and more metaphorical style of expression in the arts. It would be next to impossible for one to study symbolism in nineteenth century Literature and not at some point encounter the poem “The Afternoon of the Faun”. This is one of the great works by the French poet and author Stephane Mallarme. It is arguably the most unique poem to emerge during the symbolist movement and certainly contains the characteristics and ideals of symbolism in the arts. With Mallarme’s Symbolist style of writing “The Afternoon of the Faun” he really leaves it up to the reader as how to interpret the meaning and symbols contained within it.
While hard to formulate in a broad sense of complete understanding the story in itself is simple enough to explain. The Faun sees two nymphs while walking and is astonished by their beauty. The faun then tries to capture the nymphs. Just then, to his dismay, the Faun awakens and realizes that he may have been dreaming the whole thing. The Faun is consumed by the desire to posses the Nymphs, yet, he isn’t even sure if the Nymphs were ever really there because all his senses tell him it was just a dream. But beneath this obvious scenario, as with all of Mallarme’s writings, there seems to be a frame work for an underlying idea, or ideals, constantly whispering of their existence. That’s because Mallarme was not only concerned with the connection of words to formulate a sentence but with the actual words themselves and their relationships in meaning and sound. Mallarme would even somehow find meaning in the spaces between the words. Yet, as beautiful and unique as this poem is it’s this same uniqueness that makes any attempt in reading it with a complete and single understanding about as possible as defining the meaning in it as such; complete and single. It’s this unique style of writing that has inspired many great poets that followed. Indeed, Paul Valery, Stefan George, D? Annunzio, and Oscar Wild have all giving praise and credit to Mallarme for inspiring them.
In reading Mallarme’s poem "The Afternoon of a Faun" it would seem that he chooses each word as a symbol in itself. While each word does seem to follow and correspond with the later, it’s with the later only that it stands in its place. Each word seems to be restless and when combined they make a moving sentence like words in motion. It’s as if they are confusing themselves with notes under the belief that this is a song rather than a poem. In a way, this movement in the words almost gives life to the poem itself. He will form sentences that are vague or seemingly concealing leading the reader to conclude there must be an underlying meaning contained within each one. They are not quite direct but still to the point leaving it up to the reader to decide the hidden meaning in them.
Mallarme’s way of writing with a play on words or rather seemingly to use words that fluctuate in their meaning leaves much to the reader in finding the true significance in them. It would seem as though, with the vast space for speculation that Mallarme leaves, it is almost up to the reader rather than the writer as to what true meaning is found in the poem. Federico Olivero makes this point very clear in writing, "Several of his poems remain indeed ambiguous, unsolved riddles delicate traceries of words without any significance. Yet, in most cases, the veil of dazzling haze fades away at a careful perusal, and the meaning appears. The distortion and blurring of the image is caused by its excessive elaboration, the thought is hid by the fiery brilliance of the metaphors"
With Mallarme’s homophonous and unconventional style of writing there can really be no singularly correct interpretation of the poem. This is probably why he is a favorite to the poet’s critic. Because in evaluating Mallarme there isn’t a right or wrong answer leaving to the critics that rare opportunity to participate rather than being a mere spectator when advertising their appraisal and understanding of the poem. Since it’s really left up to the reader as to what each line is trying to say or represent you can expect to get as many different interpretations as there are critics. Take for example the single line towards the end of this poem, "Sure punishment.” While this line in and of itself you would think that there really could be but one way to interpret it, but, when taking from Mallarme’s poem the array of understanding seems only as limited as the reader allows. For instance, the critic Sally McMullen writes, "The Faun is left alone with his memories, pondering them in the silence. Are they real, or are they merely a figment of his imagination? He is punished for attempting to divide what was once whole, for trying to sully the purity that his alter ego, Herodias, wanted to preserve at all costs." McMullen would seem to think that the punishment the poem speaks of is more of an idea from the writer rather than from the Faun who’s saying it. She seems to think Mallarme is saying he’s being punished for trying to possess something pure and unrestrained. Or, that he is being punished for having that foul human instinct of "If I can’t have it nobody can."
While McMullen plays on the idea of punishment more from the writers idea the critic Rosemary Lloyd seems to gather the idea and reason of punishment contrives from the character himself, the Faun. She Writes, "Such hubris is punished not by any divine thunderbolt, but by the oppression of afternoon heat, which drives the faun back to sleep and the knowledge that he will see the nymphs again in dream." She presumes that the punishment is for no deserved reason and it’s probably the fact that the Faun had seen or dreamed of the Nymphs and fallen in love with them that his punishment is simply the knowledge that he will sleep and dream of them again.
One could see where they both find these ideas in the poem but maybe we could go even further to say that the Faun not only sees this as a punishment but also a blessing. Perhaps that is what he means when the Faun says, "I hold the Queen." The Queen represents his ability to dream because it is only there, for better or worse, that he will see the Nymphs again.
Works Cited
Olivero, Federico. "Stéphane Mallarmé."
Literature Resource Center. Macon State College . 5 Apr 2008 <
http://galenet.galegroup.com.ezproxy.maconstate.edu/servlet/LitRC?vrsn=3&OP=contains&locID=maco12153&srchtp=at hr&ca=1&c=13&ste=16&stab=512&tab=2&tbst=arp&ai=U13 736041&n=10&docNum=H1420016258&ST=Mallarme&bConts= 15023>
McMullen, Sally. "Stéphane Mallarmé: Overview."
Literature Resourse Center. Macon State College. 5 Apr 2008 <
http://galenet.galegroup.com.ezproxy.maconstate.edu/servlet/LitRC?vrsn=3&OP=contains&locID=maco12153&srchtp=at hr&ca=1&c=3&ste=16&stab=512&tab=2&tbst=arp&ai=U137 36041&n=10&docNum=H1420005277&ST=Mallarme&bConts=1 5023>
Lloyd, Rosemary. "L'apres-midi D'un Faune: Overview."
Literature Resourse Center. Macon State College. 5 Apr 2008 <
http://galenet.galegroup.com.ezproxy.maconstate.edu/servlet/LitRC?vrsn=3&OP=contains&locID=maco12153&srchtp=at hr&ca=1&c=4&ste=16&stab=512&tab=2&tbst=arp&ai=U137 36041&n=10&docNum=H1420005278&ST=Mallarme&bConts=1 5023
. The year should be the year the web resource was published, not the year you accessed it. That is included down in the References Cited section. Also, I don't know about your class, but most professors I know prefer it if you have something other then webpages cited in your work - perhaps a primary source?
