Arthur Symons, Silhouettes

James Dowthwaite (Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena)
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Arthur Symons’s second collection of poetry,

Silhouettes

(1892), is a more experimental and masterful performance than his debut. This was certainly his impression, and he had high hopes for the volume, writing to Katherine Willard, to whom he dedicated the book, “ah what hopes I have of this new book – and how they will come tumbling down about me, I suppose” (

Letters

76). By this point, Symons had established himself as part of the upcoming literary scene in England. More importantly, however, the poems bear the fruits of his encounters with French symbolism. Symons had travelled to Paris in 1891 accompanying Havelock Ellis. There he met Paul Verlaine, Maurice Maeterlinck, Joris-Karl-Huysmans, Stéphane Mallarmé, and a number of other luminaries of French letters. Though all…

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Citation: Dowthwaite, James. "Silhouettes". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 05 October 2023 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=39158, accessed 23 November 2024.]

39158 Silhouettes 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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