Abstract

Recent criticism in Mallarmé studies has tended to move away from a perception of the poet as supremely difficult, to the point of hermiticism and obscurity, and to focus on some of his lesser-known prose works, among them the intriguing fashion magazine La Dernière Mode. As the sole director and editor, Mallarmé impersonates a number of female contributors. In this article, I analyze briefly the female personae of the fashion editors, and the measure of Mallarmé's success as a literary transvestite, drawing on Bakhtinian concepts of polyphonic or dialogic form and the importance of the context of reception. This is also a study of images of women and femininity in the 'revue,' with reference to feminist critical theory and a questioning of Mallarmé's motives in constructing a complex feminine world in which he positions himself.

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