Poet in Society: Art, Consumerism and Politics in Mallarmé

The Poet in Society dispels the traditional image of Mallarmé as an ivory-tower elitist poet by demonstrating his involvement in social and political issues. It argues for a re-evaluation of Mallarmé as a writer who is both socially aware and socially committed, and who responds to the prevailing consumerist and political discourses of his society by elaborating a social project designed to cater to the psychological needs of all community members. The Poet in Society is important not only in specifically Mallarméan terms, but also in terms of the increasingly intense debate on the crisis of values in the era of early modern capitalism.