The Flowers of Evil by Charles Baudelaire (Book Analysis)

This practical and insightful reading guide offers a complete summary and analysis of The Flowers of Evil by Charles Baudelaire. It provides a thorough exploration of the collection’s structure, context and main themes, including decadence and eroticism. The clear and concise style makes for easy understanding, providing the perfect opportunity to improve your literary knowledge in no time.

This clear and detailed 24-page reading guide is structured as follows:

• Biography of Charles Baudelaire
• Presentation of The Flowers of Evil
• Summary of The Flowers of Evil
• Context of The Flowers of Evil
  • 19^th century poetry: from romanticism to symbolism
• Analysis of The Flowers of Evil
  • Spleen and Ideal: The double postulation of The Flowers of Evil
  • Correspondences
  • Style
  • Baudelaire, a modern poet

About The Flowers of Evil

The Flowers of Evil was first published in 1857 to widespread criticism. The collection sparked outrage due to its treatment of taboo themes, such as religion and eroticism, and Baudelaire was eventually fined 300 francs for having committed “an insult to public decency”. Six of the collection’s poems were banned and were not allowed to be published until 1949, long after Baudelaire’s death. This caused Baudelaire a great amount of grief, and he decided to write more poems to replace those which had been forbidden.

About Charles Baudelaire

Charles Baudelaire was a French writer who is regarded as one of the greatest poets of the 19^th century, not to mention one of the most important innovators of French literature. He was born in 1821 in Paris, which had a significant influence on his works, as he made the city the subject of many of his poems.

Baudelaire stirred up a great deal of debate and controversy. Many of his works deal with vice and sensual pleasure, and he was also suspected of using them to encourage Satanism. What is more, the poet was known as a dandy who was very free with his money, frequenting prostitutes and struggling with debt and poor health. He died a few years after a stroke.