Cloud Imagery in Baudelaire: From Toxicity to Ecological Imagination
Abstract
This ecocritical analysis of Baudelaire’s The Spleen of Paris examines cloud imagery through three lenses: its symbolic meaning in the urban environment, its role in conveying toxic discourses, and its representation of an idealized natural state. Clouds, as natural symbols, reflect the tension between nature and the industrialized city, evoke complex emotions, and reveal the erosion of human-nature connections. Moreover, they symbolize pollution, social alienation, and the yearning for a harmonious natural world. This analysis enriches our understanding of Baudelaire’s ecological philosophy and offers new perspectives for ecocritical research.
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3968/13744
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