Date of Award
Spring 6-9-2026
Document Type
Thesis (Undergraduate)
Department
Comparative Literature
First Advisor
Robert St. Clair
Second Advisor
Mimi Nguyen
Third Advisor
Eman Morsi
Abstract
This thesis concerns itself with navigating what it means to build community during a time of uncertainty. Specifically, it is an analysis of Charles Baudelaire’s poetry in Les Fleurs du mal and Spleen de Paris alongside his figure of the flâneur as a way to understand the aporia of the modern world (modernity) as a way to inform how instances of connection can occur. The first chapter suggests that a close reading of Baudelaire's poetry gives us insight into what it means to live in this present moment by looking at how Baudelaire’s poet-flâneur navigated the rapidly changing world of nineteenth-century France. The second chapter explores contemporary readings of Baudelaire’s flâneur as a way to expand the walking observer’s role beyond the streets of Paris and into our contemporary world. Finally, the third chapter is concerned with situating our analysis into the current moment. This involves a description and analysis of a Salon which was hosted on campus during the Spring of 2026 as an instance of resisting modernity’s push, even for a second.
Recommended Citation
Lin, Zoella, "Performance Arteries: From the Street to the Salon" (2026). Comparative Literature Undergraduate Senior Theses. 60.
https://digitalcommons.dartmouth.edu/complit_senior_theses/60
