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Article:
Symbolism by: Samir K. Dash I Symbolism can have an extremely wide meaning. It can be used to describe any mode of expression to refer to something indirectly through the medium of another. But this doesn’t mean that a mere substitution of one object for another can be considered as this process. In fact symbolism can be considered as the process to express to express abstract ideas and emotions through the use of concrete images, as Milton does in his Paradise Regained, where he compares Satan’s defeated legions to ‘the autumnal leaves that strew the brooks in Vallombrosa’. To make it more clear, T.S.Eliot puts it as “the only way of expressing emotions in the form of art ” [‘Hamlet’ by T.S.Eliot, Selected Essays of T.S. Eliot.]. But it should be noted that this expression mode is not done by just using a ‘symbol’, but an ‘objective corellative’ which means a set of objects, a situation, a chain of events which shall be formula of that particular emotion. Heneri de Re’gnier, a French poet and a disiple of Mallarme’ [Full name Ste’phane Mallarme’] defined ‘symbol’ as being a comparision between the abstract and the concrete with one of the terms of the comparision being merely suggested. Thus the symbol stands alone with the reader being given little or no indication as to what is being symbolized. Symbolism, hence can be defined as the art of expressing ideas and emotions not by describing them directly, nor by defining them through comparisions with concrete images, but by suggesting what these ideas and emotions are by recreating them in the mind of the reader through the use of unexplained symbols or images. This is only one aspect of Symbolism which he called ‘Personal Aspect’ or ‘Human Aspect’ of symbolism. The second aspect of symbolism is described as ‘Transcendental Symbolism’. In such type, concrete images are used as symbols, not of particular thoughts and feelings with in the poet, but of vast and general ideal world of which the real world is merely an imperfect representation. This concept of the existence of an ideal world lying beyond reality has its root sprinkled by Plato, which was popularized in 18th century by Swedenberg, and played a vital role in Christianity. In 19th century with the decline of Christian beliefs, a search for other ways to escape from the harsh reality was started. The religion was discarded for this purpose and poetry took its place. The purpose of poetry became to create for readers, a world outside reality. Stephen Mallerme’ claimed that he created in his poetry not real flower but “I’absente de tous bouquets”, the essential flower which is not to be found among any of the flowers of the world. The soul purpose of his poetry, he says was to create a pure essence, un hindered (un-disturbed) by any echo of the concrete reality which surrounds us. Although the aim of ‘Transcendental Symbolism’ is to go beyond reality, the starting point is the ‘reality’ of this world. It is so, because this helps in transition from real world to the imaginary one. As the poem proceeds, the reality begins to be blurred and it gradually dissolves into the imaginary one.As Mallerme’ does in one of his poetry where he confuses the two images of rose and lily into one imaginary flower, to create an ideal flower. Here the essence of both is perceived in one. II Symbolism is in fact a developed form of Allegory. In this sense we can trace the root of Symbolism in English literary field from William Langland’s Piers the Plowman, where Piers sees the seven deadly sins in allegorical forms. Then it can be traced in chaucer’s Romance of the Rose which was in fact the English version of original French work Roman de la Rose of Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun. Again in Milton’s Paradise Regained, the concept of symbolism grew more. But during all these period, poets weren’t themselves aware of this new form and therefore this form remained in its curdest form. But towards the early 18th century, the Christian beliefs began to decline. Hence people began to search for new means other than religion to escape from new means other than religion to escape from harsh reality of the world and ‘poetry’ became their favourite for this purpose. In France this escapism forced the poets to develop a new form and what discovered was the new developed version of allegory --- “Symbolism”. In early part of 19th century, Baudelaire, a French poet created sensations by his sonnets named ‘Correspondances’. It was capable of conveying thoughts and feelings of corruption, wealth and triumph to its readers and in it the objects were not just objects, but were the symbols of Ideal Forms lying concealed behind them. In '1857
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