French Literature Reviews - 2026

É. Benveniste, Baudelaire
Literary Theory, Linguistics and Stylistics

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Émile Benveniste, Baudelaire

Edited, introduced, and transcribed by Chloé Laplantine

Published with the support of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres

Limoges: Éditions Lambert-Lucas, 2011, 770 p.

• ISBN 13 (EAN): 978-2-35935-006-
• 60€

Publisher's overview:

It was already known that Benveniste was interested in literature and that he had ties to the Surrealist movement (signing its manifesto Revolution First and Always! in August 1925); furthermore, as Henri Meschonnic pointed out, his concepts of "subjectivity in language" and "semantics without semiotics" laid the groundwork for a modern poetics. It therefore comes as no surprise that his archives yielded 361 handwritten folios, mostly dating from 1967 and filed under the heading "Baudelaire." These previously unpublished materials are supplemented here by three folios preserved at the Collège de France.

See also: C. Laplantine, Émile Benveniste, the Unconscious and the Poem

The study of linguistics in the twentieth century frequently intersected with literary analysis, as scholars sought to bridge the gap between structural systems and individual expression. Émile Benveniste, a central figure in French linguistics, developed influential theories concerning the nature of subjectivity within language and the mechanics of enunciation. Readers interested in the history of structuralist thought and the evolution of French poetics may find this collection relevant.

These archival folios reflect research conducted by Benveniste, mostly dating from 1967 and filed under the heading "Baudelaire." The materials document his engagement with the poet, whose work remains a touchstone for discussions on modernity. The volume includes 361 handwritten folios from his archives, supplemented by three folios preserved at the Collège de France, reflecting his long-standing interest in literature and ties to the Surrealist movement.