Summary
Highlights
The video introduces Arthur Rimbaud's poem "Vénus anadyomène," written in 1870. The poem parodies Sandro Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus" by presenting a repulsive and unattractive Venus emerging from a bathtub instead of a seashell. The analysis will examine how this counter-blazon reinterprets the traditional figure of beauty.
The first stanza describes Venus emerging from a bathtub, which is compared to a 'green coffin made of tin,' creating a morbid and parodic image. The description of her hair as 'strongly pomaded' emphasizes her dirtiness, and adjectives like 'slow' and 'stupid' devalue her, presenting her as physically repulsive and mentally uninteresting. The old, poorly repaired bathtub mirrors her own appearance.
Rimbaud focuses on Venus's physical attributes using a 'counter-blazon' approach, criticizing rather than praising her body parts. A long and slow enumeration of unflattering qualities, such as 'fat' and 'grey,' 'protruding shoulder blades,' and 'short back,' highlights her unattractiveness. The use of anaphora 'then, then' emphasizes this negative description, and alliteration in 'r' creates a sense of disgust.
The first tercet continues the theme of disgust, with words like 'chine' (referring to an animal's spine) and 'red' suggesting disease. Rimbaud uses the phrase 'the whole thing' to describe her, dehumanizing her by treating her as an object. The line 'the whole thing... smells of a horrible taste' creates a synesthetic confusion, causing nausea and disgust. The poet invites a 'scientific' observation of her 'singularities,' ending with an ellipsis to build suspense.
The final tercet reveals Venus's status as a prostitute through a tattoo that reads 'Clara Venus.' This Latin phrase, meaning 'beautiful Venus,' creates an antithesis with her unappealing reality. The phrase 'this whole body' further dehumanizes her, treating her as 'an indefinite mass of matter.' Verbs like 'stirs' and 'offers' her 'large rump' emphasize her provocative and animalized nature. The poem concludes with a powerful oxymoron, 'beautiful hideously,' and an explicit mention of a 'festering ulcer on her anus,' rhyming with 'Venus' to complete the parody and sense of ultimate disgust.