It would not be an exaggeration to describe Arthur Symons as the mediator of Francophone symbolism for the English speakers of his generation, and the generation that followed him.
The Symbolist Movement in Literatureis the central reason for this reputation
.Edmond Gosse called it “the finest product of pure criticism which has been seen in England in years” and hailed Symons as “the best English critic since Pater” (Gosse, in Symons,
Letters147). Twenty years later, T. S. Eliot would describe his first encounter with it as “an introduction to wholly new feelings, as a revelation”. Despite certain demerits in individual interpretations, Eliot considered him the central introduction to French symbolism (Eliot,
The Sacred Wood5). Aside from his writing on the topic, Symons…
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Citation: Dowthwaite, James. "The Symbolist Movement in Literature". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 06 October 2023 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=39161, accessed 08 September 2024.]