The untitled sonnet known by its incipit “Le vierge, le vivace et le bel aujourd’hui” [The virgin, the vivacious, and the beautiful today] was first published in the March 1885 issue of the Revue indépendante. Its date of composition is unknown, but its affinity with the author’s longer poem Hérodiade has long led scholars to propose 1865-75 as the most likely period of composition. More recent scholarship on the evolution of the sonnet form in Mallarmé’s œuvre supports privileging the later end of this date range, as the poem’s rhyme scheme (abba abba ccd ede) conforms to the exceptionally rigorous requirements set out in Théodore de Banville’s…
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Citation: Yamaguchi, Liesl. "Le Vierge, le vivace et le bel aujourd'hui". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 24 February 2018 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=11325, accessed 22 November 2024.]