The Arcades Project - Operi

excuses a man over thirty who foists such monstrosities on the public by means
of a book:' Cited in Alphonse SecliC, La Vie deJ Fleu," du mal (1928), p. 158.
[J25a,6]
From Edouard Thierry8 review of Les Fleurs du mal in Le Moniteur (July 14,
1857?): r.The Florentine of old would surely recognize, in this French poet of
today, the characteristic ardor, the terrifying utterance, the ruthless imagery, and
the sonority of his brazen lines . ... I leave his book and his talent under Dante's
stern warning."128 Cited in Alphonse Seche, Le Vie des Fleurs du mal (1928),
pp. 160-161. [J26,1]
Baudelaire's great dissatisfaction with the frontispiece designed by Bracquemond
according to specifications provided by the poe who had conceived this idea
while perusing Hyacinthe Langlois' Histoire deJ danseJ macabreJ. Baudelaire's
instructions : "A skeleton turning into a tree, with legs and ribs forming the trunk,
the arms stretched out to make a cross and bursting into leaves and buds, shelter·
ing several rows of poisonous plants in little pots, lined up as if in a gardener's
hothouse:' Bracquemond evidently runs into difficulties, and more·
over misses the poet's intention when he masks the skeleton's pelvis with flowers
and fails to give its arms the form of branches. From what Baudelaire has said,
the artist simply does not know what a Jque/ette arboreJcent is supposed to be, and
he can't conceive how vices are supposed to be represented as flowers. (Cited in
Alphonse Seche, La Vie deJ FleurJ du mal [ 1928], pp. 136-137, as
drawn from letters.) In the end, a portrait of the poet by Bracquemond was
substituted for this planned image. Something similar resurfaced around 1862, as
Poulet·Malassis was planning a luxury edition of LeJ FleurJ du mal. He commis·
sioned Bracquemond to do the graphic design, which apparently consisted of
decorative borders and vignettes; emblematic devices played a major role On
these. (See Seche, p. 138.)-The subject that Bracquemond had failed to render
was taken up by Rops in the frontispiece to LeJ EpaveJ (1866). [J26,2]
List of reviewers for Les Fleurs du mal, with the newspapers Baudelaire had in
mind for them: Buloz, Lacaussade, Gustave Rouland (La Revue europeenne);
Gozlan (Le Monde illustre); Sainte-Beuve (Le Moniteur); Deschanel (Le Journal
des debats); Am'evilly (Le Pays); Janin (Le Nord); Armand Fraisse (Le Salut
public de Lyons); Guttinguer (La Gazette de France). (According to SechO,
p. 140.) [J26,3]
The publication rights for Baudelaire's entire oeuvre were auctioned after his
death to Michel Levy for 1,750 francs. [J26,4]
The "Tableaux Parisiens" appear only with the second edition of Le Fleurs du
mal. [J26,5]