Gourmont, Remy De

Related Category: French Literature: Biographies

(rəmē´ də grmôN´), 1858–1915, French critic and novelist, leading critical apologist for the symbolists. Although his views were seemingly contradictory, he was consistent in opposing traditionalism and defending new literary departures. He was long a contributor to the Mercure de France. His novels, stories, and plays, always analytic in their character study, include Les Chevaux de Diomède (1897, tr. The Horses of Diomedes, 1923) and Un Cœur virginal (1907, tr. A Virgin Heart, 1921). He is known for his linguistic studies, including Le Problème du style (1902), as well as for the critical collection Promenades littéraires (7 vol., 1904–28).