Crime and (absence of) punishment in Les Chants de Maldoror

This essay examines crime in Les Chants de Maldoror in relation to the lack of punishment for it, with a dichotomous light-and-shadow approach. By closely analyzing Maldoror’s place in the Great Chain of Being, as well as his rank and function in the world of crime, the different ways in which the author challenges the conventions that separate the acceptable from the reprehensible and the intention behind these challenges will be examined.