In mainstream literary histories, Aloysius Bertrand (1807-1841) is still remembered as the canonical inventor of the prose poem in France. The established classification of Gaspard de la Nuit (1842) within the realm of the prose poem inevitably involves a retrospective appreciation of Bertrand’s work in light of the better-known authors that succeeded him in the history of this genre, such as Baudelaire and Mallarmé. The result is that Bertrand is often viewed as the inventor and/or the precursor of this genre; an important but, ultimately, minor contributor to its development. This hindsight brings with it a risk of critical anachronism against which Bertrand's contribution is often downplayed, especially because his thematic choices are seen to be outmoded, when compared to works by poets writing decades later. This thesis is a re-examination of Bertrand's Gaspard de la Nuit, incorporating an analysis of the cultural context that contributed to its production. The central argument is that in order to fairly assess Bertrand’s work, it is crucial to consider the poet’s contribution to, as well as his position in, the wider cultural exchange typical of his time. Using this contextual and historical approach, this thesis examines and challenges some of the main traditional considerations of Bertrand, such as his being a petit romantique, his provincialism, his unoriginality, and his role as the precursor and/or inventor of the prose poem. The overall aim is to assess fairly Bertrand’s unique synthesis of contemporary cultural and literary material with his own original work. By emphasising the crucial role of cultural exchange at the time of Gaspard de la Nuit’s production, we are thus able to begin to understand Bertrand in his own terms, rather than those of his successors, ourselves included, challenging commonly-held views and opening up new avenues for research.

Révélée dans les années 70, la génération des Novísimos éclipse des décennies d’asphyxie culturelle en brisant les carcans formels et les codes langagiers. Si une forme de liquidation semble être à l’œuvre, très vite la culture du silence et du vide offre un terrain fertile à la renaissance. Guillermo Carnero, Leopoldo María Panero et Jaime Siles, réunis autour de l’objectif de rénovation poétique, modulent un dialogue continu avec la poésie française, inspirés par la modernité de la fin du XIXe siècle et ses artisans : Baudelaire, Gautier, Mallarmé et Rimbaud. Mosaïque culturelle, le poème fait se rencontrer tableaux et vers, rythme et couleur, mais aussi se confronter les références les plus érudites, l’entremêlement des idiomes, et des motifs populaires. Cette démultiplication du sens conduit à une parole poétique qui touche à l’universel ; entraînant la remise en question du poème et de ses acteurs. Dans cette œuvre médiatrice des arts et des cultures, une révolution est en marche. / Coming to light in the 1970s, the Novísimos generation eclipses many decades of cultural suffocation by breaking formal constraint and linguistic codes. If a certain form of liquidation seems to be initially at work, the culture of silence and emptiness soon provides fertile ground for rebirth. Gathered around the common goal of poetic renewal, Guillermo Carnero, Leopoldo María Panero and Jaime Siles are in constant dialogue with French poets, more precisely with late nineteenth-century Modernists such as Baudelaire, Gautier, Mallarmé and Rimbaud. As a sort of cultural mosaic, the poem not only brings together paintings and verses, rhythm and colour, but also confronts the most erudite references with the intermingling of idioms and popular elements. This multiplication of meanings leads to a poetic language that attains universality and questions the poem and its main players. In this intermediary work between arts and cultures, a revolution is underway.