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Parnassianism

Parnassianism

1 9.9
A French poetry movement in the 1800s that values exact form and beauty and avoids strong feeling
  • noun
  • /pɑrˈnæsɪənˌɪzəm/
  • Literature
: parnasianismo
  • Many poets associated with Parnassianism believed that poetry should be appreciated for its beauty alone.

Examples

  • The Parnassianism movement sought to separate art from any moral or political agenda.

  • Indeed, as the literary historian James K. Robinson points out, in the last third of the century, "English Parnassianism" and the "vogue of Villon translation" characterized English verse culture.

    Academic text (2017)
  • Parnassianism emphasizes the importance of Parnassianism in formal precision and objective expression in poetry.

How Formal

Parnassianism
  • Literature
1 9.9
classicism
1 8.1
realism
28 6.1
Romanticism
  • Literature
4 7.9

Surface Forms

Parnassianism singular

Morphology

Parnassianism = Parnassian (semi-transparent) = Parnassus + ian + ism

The formation from the adjective 'Parnassian' plus the productive suffix '-ism' clearly denotes a movement or doctrine.

Etymology

Parnassianism comes from Mount Parnassus, said to be the home of the Muses, the 'goddesses of poetry and art', so the name points to poetry. 19th-century poets used Parnassianism for a style that prized careful form and skill, so the word now means a movement that values craft and precise form over strong feeling.