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"Thematically Innovative And Diverse But Technically Unadventurous" To What Extent Is This Of French Poetry 1840-70

"Thematically Innovative and Diverse but Technically Unadventurous" To what extent is this of French poetry 1840-70

"L'Indécis au Précis se joint" –Art Poétique, Paul Verlaine

French poetry between 1840 and 1870 is predominantly marked by the work of Charles Baudelaire and Paul Verlaine.
Baudelaire is most praised for his poetry collection "Les Fleurs du mal", he is considered to be thematically innovative due to his exploration of erotic, aesthetic, and social themes in ways that appalled many of his middle-class readers, and he was accused of obscenity and blasphemy. However, the book became perhaps the most influential collection of lyrics published in Europe in the 19th century mainly due to his diversity and bold approach to poetry.

He is considered to be one of Verlaine's main influences but both poets differ substantially particularly in the goals of their poetry. Baudelaire is attempting to search for the ideal through his poetry and seems tormented by moral and physical conflict. Verlaine on the other hand does not appear to want to unite the two, his poetry is more concerned with emotion, and particularly the collection marked "Romances sans paroles" which he mainly composed in prison after shooting his homosexual partner.
The subject matter of their poetry is shocking when taken in context, but on first glance their use of structure and versification may seem regular and unadventurous. Although both poets do not flagrantly abuse the rules of French versification, it is in fact their adaptation of traditional ideas to aid the comprehension of their poetry that makes them innovative. The collections are also marked by diversity in content, poetic form and versification.

When considering whether each poet is technically unadventurous or not, it is necessary to not only compare them against the fixed set of prerequisites which define French verse   but also to consider their reasoning behind such choices. Furthermore, it is important to look...