Humor and metapoetry in the poets of Le chat noir

Abstract

The journal Le Chat Noir, published between 1882 and 1897, was created by Rodolphe Salis to promote the homonymous artistic cabaret which opened in 1881 in Montmartre. The journal’s abundant poetic material allows us to evaluate the poetic transformation and renovation process that took place in the last couple of the decades of the 19th century. At the same time, it provides rich testimony of the bohemian, artistic and literary life of that period. This paper intends to analyze the presence of humor and metapoetry in the poets of Le Chat Noir through some concrete and representative examples. These elements allow us to verify that experimentation and invention characterize this group of poets, bringing forward some of the 20th century poetry achievements.