Charles Baudelaire: Poems

The role of the city in Charles Baudelaire and João do Rio 11th Grade

The city was the popular expression of writers such as Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867) and João do Rio (1881-1921). Despite having lived in different periods and places, they thematized the city, exploring its social spaces, and promoting a sensorial experience. Throughout this essay, I will analyze the parallels and divergences between these two poets through these two writers through the collection of "Parisian Scenes'' by Charles Baudelaire and "The street" de João do Rio.

Both authors lived in a period of intense changes in different sectors of society, especially the modernization of their respective cities. In the case of Baudelaire, the city of Paris became the stage of cultural effervescence along with the re-urbanization of the metropolis, promoted by Baron de Haussmann. For 20 years, the French capital underwent several works to renovate and sanitize the city, in which historic buildings and entire regions of the town would be demolished and replaced by large and wide avenues. Also in Rio de Janeiro, then capital of Brazil, between 1902 and 1906 the same process was undertaken by Mayor Pereira Passos, inspired by the case of Paris. Once the city was seen as a model of civilization, ideals, and modernity to be...

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