Imaginary Voyages in Baudelaire's Verses

Abstract

This study analyses the topic of imaginary voyages within the poetry of Baudelaire. The world is a "desert of ennui" according to Baudelaire and in order to escape from it he creates imaginary countries where he can find refuge. In this search even death is transformed into a salvation that may open new horizons for him. With these voyages that take place in the past, the présent or the future, Baudelaire tries to run away from the real word. This article excluding the few poems where the topic of the imaginary voyage is apparently perceptible, tries to emphasize how much The Flowers of Evil are impregnated by the idea of an imaginary voyage. In this order, words such as sun, sky, perfume, night, sea, death - used particularly in the poems known as poems of imaginary voyage - are chosen as Key words and the census of their employment in The Flowers of Evil is roughly made. This study that tries to make a journey through Baudelaire's poetry, also approaches the poem entitled The Voyage in detail.