Maldoror by Comte de Lautreamont - Essay Example

Maldoror by Comte de Lautreamont The Comte de Lautreamont was one of the most important and influential French of the 19th century. His work reaches down the arc of years, and has been cited by many surrealists and contemporary writers as being an important influence on their own work. Lautreamont's greatest work was certainly Maldoror, a long work which is difficult to analyze and understand, despite its huge poetical power. One of the important aspects of this work is the tension between humanity and the animal kingdom.

This tension exists because Maldoror, as a form of evil, wants to try to erase the distinction between man and animal. He himself shifts into various animal forms and sees people do the same. He wants people to embrace the base, vile animal within themselves in order so that they will become evil too. Animals live by their appetites, they have no higher reason or calling. Maldoror wishes to see humanity reduced to this base form. He transfers into animal form to escape his disgust for humanity.

It is easy to sense the poet's own disgust with humanity. He clearly is unhappy with human hypocrisies and sees in the animal kingdom something that is purer or freer of guile. He sees an insect as a beautiful thing, not as something disgusting. This is worthy of note. Few works in the history of literature have made as much of an impression as this one. Its non-narrative structure and powerful imagery influenced a generation of surrealists. But it also contains a larger, almost theological message: We should value the distinction between us and animals.