The characteristics of Parnassianism reside in the sentence “ art for art ”, that is, in the search for the perfection of poetic forms and in the aesthetic rigor, permeated by classical values.
In view of this, Parnassian writers sought the meaning of life when writing about themes of reality, historical facts and subjects belonging to classical culture, for example, mythology.
Above all, they intended to achieve the highest degree of perfection through concern with poetic aesthetics, from metrification, versification and rhyme scheme. In other words, they were more concerned with the poetic form to the detriment of the content itself.
That was how the Parnassians used cultured words and rare, rich and perfect rhymes in their compositions. The most explored type of poetic composition was the sonnet, a fixed poem formed by two quartets and two tercets.
Historical context
Parnasianism was an artistic movement that emerged in the second half of the 19th century in France, and which gradually spread throughout the world.
With the inventions (locomotive, photography, telephone, phonograph, lamp, etc.) and the new scientific discoveries of the time (in the areas of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, psychology, medicine, etc.), the Parnassians sought the interpretation of human issues through scientism, positivism and materialism.
Amid the context of the English Industrial Revolution and the advances in metallurgy, the world was experiencing countless and profound changes in the economy. As a result, the increase in population, the accelerated urbanization and the advancement of transport, resulted in several changes in the human mentality.
All of this is reflected in the works produced at that time, where the subjectivism and emotion of the writer, cultivated by the previous movement of romanticism, gives rise to impersonality and the valorization of sciences.
Main features of Parnasianism
- Opposition to romanticism
- Objectivism and rationalism
- Scientism and positivism
- Valuation of classical culture
- Aesthetic rigor and cult of poetic form
- Classical, refined and elaborate language
- Detailed description of scenes and objects
- Logical and complex poetry
- Impersonality