Rimbaud et « l’opium du peuple »

This article attempts to re-historicize the metaphor of religion / opium in A Season in Hell. This contextualization will initially be achieved in view of the heuristic metaphor as seen in works by Kant, Novalis, Heine, and more importantly by Marx, whose statement “Religion is the opium of the people” is widely recognized. By pre-establishing clear guidelines for meaning, the heuristic metaphor will be used to overcome grammatical and semantic aporias in Rimbaud’s extended metaphor. This contextualization will also be done with regards to the paradigm shift occurring in the 19th century concerning the social representation of opium. This transformation will set a foundation for a poetic of addiction, drawing toward both religious need and rejection. The final segment will attempt to show how Rimbaud incorporates, within the framework of his poetic of addiction, a way out of religion.