Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837-1909)

Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837-1909) was a Victorian-era decadent poet. He was friends with Dante Gabriel Rosetti, the founder of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

There's a distant chance Swinburne's work might appear on the GRE Literature exam, but it's more likely you'll simply be expected to know the following facts:

1. His work was extremely controversial in his day.
2. Works often include sadomasochism, lesbianism, anti-religious outrage, and an implied death-wish.

His work is not work adding to your GRE Literature reading list.

Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891)

Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891) was a French Decadent poet and a notorious libertine.

For the GRE Literature exam, it's enough to know that:

-He was a prodigy: stopped writing poetry at 21.
-Victor Hugo famously called him "an infant Shakespeare."

His work is unlikely to appear on the exam, but a biographical question might.