The Universal Self

Paul Valéry was one of the most brilliant and subtle thinkers of his time. His work sums up the traditions of classical French poetry and carries it to its highest perfection: the fine flower of an intellectual civilisation.
In The Universal Self Miss Mackay examines Valéry’s achievement, both as poet and creative thinker, placing him in the environment of literary life in Paris; tracing the development of his thought, from his early friendship with Mallarmé to the years when his genius was widely acknowledged. She shows how Valéry’s interest in scientific techniques led him to evolve a system of thought, analogous to the methods of higher mathematics, to elucidate the workings of the mind, from which arose his conception of Pure Self – the essential theme of his poetry.
The symbolism of his poems is analysed and shown to be constant and coherent, in harmony with the subtle orchestration of his verse; and the validity of his psychology is considered in relation to the philosophical trends of the period.
Rather than following conventional lines of biography, this book is a biography if ideas, in accordance with Valéry’s theory that ideas are more important than events in the life of a poet.