Extract
[...] The cat, through its mysterious, even mystical character, is a very interesting subject and one that has its rightful place within poems. It is an animal that never ceases to fascinate writers. Writers and cats have a shared history, as evidenced by the bond between Colette and her animals, Hemingway, or many others, and all the poets whose writings we have here. The animal is an inexhaustible source of inspiration. Its ambiguous character, which often escapes our understanding and remains entirely elusive, leaves a door open to all possible imaginations. [...]
[...] The text of Brassens, on the other hand, has a fully humorous tone. Prévert's poem is dramatic with the death of the only bird in the village killed by the only cat of the same village. The funeral with the procession that the invited cat follows, accompanied by the little girl who is crying, has a pathetic tone. In Claude Roy's poem, the tone is intentionally humorous and with a didactic approach at the end of the story. Jacques Roubaud's poem has a comical and humorous tone. [...]
[...] The attachment that links the narrator of the poem 'Epitaph of a Cat' is particularly touching in this regard. We also have in Baudelaire's poem 'The Cat' an explicit expression of this love:vers this cat that I love ». The cat is an animal with which it is possible to play. It is an animal that invites to sensuality, contemplation, meditation and reflection. 6)What tones do you find in the different poems? We find a pathetic and lyrical tone in the poem by Joachim du Bellay with the lyrical expression notably visible through the presence of the ' ». [...]
[...] In his poem about the cat, Baudelaire uses positive terms by repeating the adjective 'beautiful': 'Come my beautiful cat», v "beautiful eyes », v We thus find this essential characteristic of beauty associated with the dominant feline in the entire set of poems presented. We can also quote from the same poet in 'The Cat' at verse 3:A beautiful cat, strong, sweet and charming ». The cat is also described as a 'an amiable beast », v.10 which has a precious character as evidenced by v.4: "Mixtures of metal and agate ». To return to the description of the soft and caressing fur, Paul Verlaine evokes the ""white paw » of his cat. In Claude Roy's poem, the animal is also white in color. [...]
[...] The cats symbolize all perfection. They are described as having perfect beauty, The cat in Baudelaire's poem appears in a much more ambiguous way; it has a very sensual appearance and a mysterious, almost mystical character. The sacred dominance of the cat holds an important place in the poems "their mystical eyes », in 'The Cats'. The cat is thus always a 'mysterious cat / seraphic cat, strange cat, » (« The Cat' of Baudelaire. The poet, however, wonders if the animal might not be 'fée » or 'dieu » in 'The Cat'. [...]
