Théophile Gautier

Théophile Gautier (1811-72), French poet, critic, and novelist, who was a prominent figure for 40 years in the artistic and literary life of Paris.

Gautier was born on August 31, 1811, in Tarbes, and educated in Paris. In the 1830s he supported the romantic movement, then superseding the classical movement in French literature and the drama. As a poet, however, Gautier opposed the principles of romanticism, avoiding in his work the expression of strong emotions and emphasizing instead technique and finish of style. These qualities are characteristics of his early Poésies (1830) and Albertus (1832); they are particularly strong in his masterpiece Émaux et camées (Enamels and Cameos, 1852; enlarged ed., 1872). The impersonality and technical expertness of his poetry foreshadowed the Parnassian school of French poetry, which succeeded the romantic school. Gautier became a leader of the Parnassians, who held that poetry should be concerned with artistic effect rather than with life (“art for art's sake”); he particularly influenced the work of one of the most important of the group, Charles Baudelaire.

As a novelist, Gautier is known chiefly for his Mademoiselle de Maupin (1835), an expression of the hedonistic philosophy of life. He was also a noted writer of exotic short stories, among which are “La morte amoureuse” (The Love-Death, 1836) and “Une nuit de Cleopatre” (One of Cleopatra's Nights). In addition, he was among the best and most influential critics of his time. Among his critical writings are Histoire de l'art dramatique depuis vingt-cinq ans (History of Dramatic Art During the Last Twenty-five Years, 6 volumes, 1858-59), and Rapport sur le progrès des lettres depuis vingt-cinq ans (Report on the Progress of Literature During the Last Twenty-five Years, 1868).

Gautier died on October 23, 1872, in the Paris suburb of Neuilly.