In 1913 Guillaume Appolinaire's "Alcools" was published. It marked a watershed in French, indeed world, literature, and is heralded by the Encyclopaedia Britannica as Appolinaire's "poetic masterpiece". The poem featured on this course, 'Hôtels', was included in this highly original, innovative and influential collection. 'Hôtels' combines traditional verse forms with truly modern imagery to great effect, and through this merits its place in this celebrated poetic collection. The …showed first 75 words of 1084 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1084 total…that does not look nor sound old-fashioned. The dichotomy between a modern world and a world of technology still strikes a chord in today's reader. "Hôtels" through its originality in literary technique remains a fascinating read for a student of French Literature, or anyone else for that matter. The poem juxtaposes the old and the new, using traditional forms and modern imagery, and as such is wholly deserving of our attention.