One aspect of Mallarme's aesthetics: poetry and the meaning of the world

The basic question to pose about poetry, and Mallarme's poetry in particula r, is, without a doubt, "What is it?" Mallarme distinguishes between ordina ry language and poetic language and assigns poetry a "spiritual task". Acco rding to Mallarme, poetry has a duty to express the "mysteries of existence " and to give the world, through language, ontological back up that God no longer provides. This function of poetry involves a particular notion of la nguage and Mallarme shows us the transitions from inessential language, whi ch might well fail to fulfill this role, to the search for an essential lan guage, capable of establishing authenticity, notably through rhythm.