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Forum for Modern Language Studies 2007 43(3):290-300; doi:10.1093/fmls/cqm049
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© The Author (2007). Published by Oxford University Press for the Court of the University of St Andrews. All rights reserved

Dilettantism and Irony: Jules Laforgue and C. M. Wieland

Richard Hibbitt

School of Literature and Creative Writing
University of East Anglia
Norwich NR4 7TJ
United Kingdom


  Abstract

Jules Laforgue's self-description as "dilettante" offers an interesting variation on Paul Bourget's innovative definition of 1882. Laforgue adapts Bourget's concept of affirmative scepticism to describe a transformation in his own Weltanschauung, which manifests itself artistically in his shift to a predominantly ironic mode of writing. This article argues that Laforgue provides a critical paradigm which enables dilettantism to transcend its specific position in fin-de-siècle discourse, illustrated by reference to the Rokoko writings of C. M. Wieland.

Key Words: Laforgue, Jules • Wieland, C. M. • Bourget, Paul • fin de siècle • Rokoko • dilettantism • irony • parody • carnivalesque


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