BANVILLE, N WV, THEODORE FA U LLAI N DE ( 1823-91). A French poet, born at Moulins. A pupil of Hugo in prosody and rhetorie, he wits a follower of Gautier in his passionless objectivity and hedonistic ethics. The titles of his volumes of poetry suggest the impassive nature of the contents: Cariatides (1842) ; Stalactites (1846) : Odelettcs (1856) ; Odes funambulesques (1857); and You relies odes f a na m bulesques The Franco-German War stirred hint to a more passionate utterance in Idylles prussiennes 118711. lie wrote also two charming dramatic sketches, Gringoire (1866), a sort of defense of poetry against the materialistic spirit of the Napoleonic r6gime, and Socrate et so femme (1885). Ilis prose pieces are poetry in all but form, whether they call themselves Fairy Tales (rontrs Neriques) or Parisian Sketches (Esquis ses parisiennes, 1859). His critical Truitt de la poesie franertise (1872) won him the title of 'Legislator of Parnassus.' But it is as a poet alone that he survives—a poet of a disillusioned age, a product of the determinist philosophy of Tainc and the cynical materialism of the Empire. In form, as in ethics, lie is a sensualist, reviving the artificial stanzas of the Fourteenth Century, and in this becoming a forerunner of Austin Dobson. In his Odes funambulesques his muse
dances on the wire that he has stretched for her with an easy assurance that evokes an amused admiration. It is the perfection of fanciful frivolity, inexhaustible in the flow of its empty gayety, "with the one idea of expressing no idea" kLetnaitre), but producing the desired impres sion by artful interlinking of rhymes and har monious or peculiar succession of sounds. Ban vine had a marvelous gift of musical speech that sings itself into the ear with a strange melody, or provokes a cynic laugh by its metallic itera tion. Such art of poetry is ill-adapted to serious subjects. It closes its eyes deliberately to the sterner half of life and finds its natural element in pagan myths, I-en:I-went ideals, and bohemian manners. Of such subjects he will paint exqui site pictures, cameos whose clear-cut outlines rival the brilliancy of their can. Ile is the most ingrained pagan among modern French poets. Banville's Works are published in 8 vols. (1873-78), with a posthumous volume Dernii^res pw'sies (1893). He died in Paris, March 13, 1891.