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Can anyone help a brainlet understand a paragraf? I just bought The Flowers of Evil, and on the cover-fold (when you open the first page) there is a paragraf about something, that Baudelaire wrote. I have a danish translation of the book, and I couldn't find an english pdf, cuz the paragraf is from a whole other work of his, so it may not be 100% accurate, if I try to translate it to english, but here it is.
"To sell your soul to the Devil, what does that mean/suggest?. What is more absurd, than the progress, when mankind, as fact shows from day to day, still in one and all/in all things is mankind equal, i.e. is still standing on the wild stage/state. What is the jungle's and the praire's dangers against the daily agitations and conflicts of our civilization? Wether mankind stands vulgar/crude on the boulevard or pierces its prey in unknown forests, it isn't the everlasting human, i.e. the most complete predator?"
I can't wrap my head about any of this. The paragraf is apparently from his own diary, "Journaux Intimes".
Halp
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please search some articles or companions to french 19th century literature or Baudelaire himself to better understand the context.
One of the main Baudelaire's opinions is that boredom will kill us all, that's why we should find some occupation. We are dangerous to ourselves and others. We need something we can concentrate on instead of fully delight life and its opportunities.
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>>9961694
spleen
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>>9961722
of course not regular boredom, but rather "existential boredom"
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>>9961838
Sooo, like a form of nihilism, perhaps? Or is it completely different form nihilism
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>>9961856
from*
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>>9961856
In nihilism you are rather resigned and you hate your life.
Boredom can make you do chaotic and psychopatic things, because you have nothing to do in your life.
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>>9961861
I think later form of it can be seen in Gide's "Les Caves du Vatican", acte gratuit, Lafcadio kills a random person because... why not? But he also saves kids from fire because... why not?
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