Paul Claudel (1868-1955):

Life
 Born into a humble family in Champagne, France, Claudel began his career in foreign service
 He served as a French diplomat in New York City, China, Tokyo, Washington, and Brussels
particularly as an expert in economic matters
 He was isolated from most literary circles, but managed to gain acclaim through his
Symbolist plays and prose poetry.
 In 1900, Claudel attempted to become a member of a Benedictine monastery, but was
disappointed and escaped to China to serve as the French consul. On the way there, he an
adulterous affair with a Polish woman who profoundly impacted the themes of human and
divine love in his artistic works.
 He was known as quite a dogmatic Catholic, and almost every one of his works centers on
understanding creation and God’s purpose for humanity. This repeatedly takes the form of
man lustfully conquering nature and an arrogant pursuit for the convert of unbelievers.

Poetry
 Was profoundly influenced by both Roman Catholic ideals and Rimbaud’s Illuminations
 He viewed Mallarmé as a “teacher” of sorts for the modern poets. Mallarmé’s lofty view of
poetry as an art form and its ability to capture ideas outside of the poet were harmonious with
Claudel’s own interpretation of the purpose of poetry.
 His main works are the plays La Ville, L’Echange, Le Repos du septième jour, his
autobiographical work Partage de midi, L’Annoce faite à Marie, and his masterpiece Le
Soulier de satin.
 The same symbols and themes run through almost all of his works. While in different settings
or contexts, the main ideas are usually:
o Man is a rightful inheritor of God’s creation and is free to seize and subjugate nature.
Pride and ambition are the starting point, but God moves such men in the direction of
redemption
o The world is God’s handiwork and the only proper response to it is praise
o Women should not be underestimated as temptations but can also guide men to more
divine pursuits.
 His poetry is characterized by:
o Lack of rhyme or meter. He did write some lyrical poetry in addition to his prosaic
works, but it lacks traditional form as well.
o “Long verse” or verset claudélien which plays off of spoken and written modes. Endings
and pauses do not necessarily reflect finality of an idea, but instead provide emotion and
respite from the continuous lines. It exists in an undefined space between prose and verse
poetry and is similar to invocations and Biblical texts

Source:
Burnshaw, Stanley. The Poem Itself. Fayetteville, University of Arkansas Press, 1995.

“Paul Claudel.” Encylopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Paul-Claudel. Date Accessed 19 February 2020.
 Paul Claudel
Décembre
 My first thought when reading this work was how similar it was to my writing style. The
sentences are very long and drawn out, and Claudel carefully arranges each dependent clause
to avoid confusion on the reader’s part. Of course the descriptions and mastery of language
are far above anything I’ve ever written, but I at least resonated with his practice of trying to
pack each sentence with as much meaning as possible. In his prose, nothing comes off as
being overly verbose or indulgent; instead, the descriptions build on one another to generate
complexity in association.
 The first paragraph reminds me of Rimbaud’s Aube in how much motion is captured in the
words. The theatrical expertise of Claudel is at the forefront, and he manages to capture a
Baudelarian tactile experience as well as a cinematic pan over the landscape.
 His diplomatic background and knowledge of Chinese customs are evident in his figurative
language. The elements of the scene are compared to aspects of the culture: brocades,
printmaking, wooden joinery, weaving. Together they reinforce his familiarity with both the
landscape and people of East Asia.
 The sixth sentence stands alone as both the shortest and most isolated. Claudel experiences
the wonder of creation around him, then processes it internally. What follows is a meditation
on the significance of winter and its role in the passage of time.
 These afternoons are sweet because they point towards redemption. Claudel observes that
nothing survives the past and everything is holding its breath for spring. The soil and the
people who live on it are instructed to rest–as the Sabbath–by nature; thus, even in a Chinese
landscape, Claudel hears the guiding voice of God.
 Paul Claudel
Dissolution
 The poem describes Claudel’s regret and guilt following an adulterous affair on his voyage to
China. These sentiments are not uncommon to adherents of the Catholic faith, but Claudel’s
processing of them is rather unique. At first he longs for death–the usual fair–but then his
emotions push him to wish for absolute abstraction of his surroundings. He attacks his own
senses, breaking everything down into the singular water of his tears. In this water, much as
the ocean separating the beginning and end of his destination, he is merely afloat, detached
from all sin or comfort.
 Line 6 is drawn out into oblivion, and may be my favorite example of verset claudélien. With
three « et »’s, the line could have ended after only four words. Instead, much like the poet’s
grief, it is almost incessant, beating the poet over and over with his grief.
 Line 7 is interesting for the evolution of one’s embouchure when speaking out loud. The
mouth pulls up for « le ciel », the lips flare out for « plus », and again for « brume », then
back up for « l’espace », but ultimately ends on the lowest sound and posture for « l’eau ».
The line teeter-totters up and down but ultimately collapses into a deep grief. This is
followed by repeated description of the dissolving landscape and by declining perception of
Claudel’s surroundings.
 Paul Claudel
L’Esprit et l’eau [Fragment]
 This poem is really not to my taste, and I say that even as a Christian who firmly believes in
everything Claudel is exalting. There are a few phrases in here that are particularly good, but
overall, I feel like Claudel has only introduced metaphors that are either based on
questionable theology or which are just somewhat boring.
o The phrase « cœur catholique » has some nice wordplay.
o « Octave de la Création » nicely wraps up meaning in music, church terminology, and
biblical numerology. It captures the breadth of Claudel’s declaration and the harmony
he observes.
o « J’ai pesé le soleil ainsi qu’un gros mouton » is an odd bit of figurative language. It’s
certainly arrogant, because it declares the poet master of the Earth’s source of energy
and productivity as well as time itself. This is the first bit of theology I take issue
with, because it misconstrues God’s blessing to Adam and Eve to “have dominion
over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth
and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth” as well as His charge to them
to “be fruitful and multiply; [to] fill the earth and subdue it”. God placed them in a
garden, as gardeners. Even after the fall of humanity, their relationship to God’s
creation has not changed. We are stewards of every living thing, not the inanimate
forces of nature such as the sun, and Claudel’s lust for power over creation seems to
me a strange way to praise God.
o « Le baleinier » waiting to skewer his prey is very representative of the colonial
ambitions of Europe as well as the unfortunate evangelistic methods employed by the
church in the past.