An Evaluation of the Impact of Jean Cocteau’s Poetry on His Other Work

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An evaluation of the impact of Jean Cocteau’s poetry on his other work. This essay will look at how the early poetry and Jean Cocteau is related to his later art works such as his novels and films. To start with there will be a discussion on around Cocteau’s belief on the myth of the poetry and supernatural power of the poets. The poetical views of Cocteau’s will be examined by discussing the following opinions of some critics. The discussion will not include some different aspect to discuss his theatrical geniuses and visual masterminds because I thought it would be more helpful to concentrate on one area of his work. Moreover, it will be briefly outlined his sexual affiliation and his moral belief in the life. Lastly, there will be a conclusion based on what it has been found in his exploration of his work. The most intriguing aspect of all Cocteau`s work is the unique relationship that existed between poetry and his other work. This is shown in all his novels, plays, movies and criticism. According to one of his contemporaries’ critic, Wallace Fowlie: “It is impossible to speak of any single one without reference to the others” (Fowlie, 1954:87). However, as a critic W.Fowlie observed that poetry to Cocteau was an “immemorial rite” (Guenther, 2004:23). Cocteau, himself has called poetry as `the secular mystery` and he compared the poets to alchemists and astrologers who have their fetishes and miraculous `tricks`. (Levitt,1993:368) The ` ultimate mystery` of his poets was achieved by his poem `self-sufficiency` (Fowlie,1954:85). At the same time he was writing his poetry, he was surrounded by advanced art movements such as Cubism, Futurism and his famous friend Picasso or Satie. Nevertheless he remained his independent from them in his works and throughout his career, Cocteau developed a method to write which was very much his own. It
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