A study of Neoclassical and Romantic features in the poetry of André Chénier, French poet of the 18th Century

André Chénier (1762-1794) is the greatest and the best known French poet of the 18th century. He is famous especially for his courageous opposition to the power of the Terror in the early years of the French Revolution which caused finally his death by guillotine. The study of his poetical works can clarify the literary transition between neoclassicism and romanticism. This paper, by describing the poetry, the ideas and the time of Chénier, tries to demonstrate why it is impossible to limit his works merely to classicism. In fact he goes beyond the limits of classicism and toward romanticism, the literary school whose great followers call him their own precursor.