Guest Editor's Introduction

Abstract

The original objective of this themed issue was to gather reflections on the reception of the work of Charles Baudelaire that in some guise or other departed from standard patterns, and, consequently, to focus on Baudelaire’s reception with reference to particularities rather than paradigms. The call for submissions sought therefore to elicit contributions on the reception and translation of Baudelaire’s work in overlooked and under-frequented places, on topics – those which follow were given by way of example in the call for submissions ‒ involving non-standard cultures and patterns of translation of Baudelaire’s work; the reception of Baudelaire’s work in milieus underexplored or ignored by comparative scholarship; and unfamiliar Baudelaire(s): atypical reception of Baudelaire’s work. The four essays and Afterword that comprise this issue achieve this objective in one way or another, while demonstrating that in order to be deemed non-standard, receptions do not have to take the form of dramatic or radical departures from established models of reception. This introduction will provide a context to the essays by considering firstly the recent and current position of reception studies within the context of comparative literature and secondly developments in the study of the reception of Baudelaire during the last few years. It will conclude with a review of the essays and Afterword individually and in relation to each other.