L'imaginaire technique dans la poésie industrielle du XIX ^e siècle

During the 19th century, poems inspired by technical matters were published, sometimes on the occasion of poetry contests organised by the Académie française or Universal Exhibitions. On an initial level this generates a linguistical problem : how can French language and its poetry render technical progress accurately ? Secondly, technical matters and engineering appears to be incompatible with poetry's very nature, traditionally considered as spiritual and having nothing to do with material matters. Nevertheless, many poets took up the challenge in order to incorporate technical inventions into culture through poetic wording. They form the link between the tradition of didactic poetry and the poets of «l'esprit nouveau».