Decadence in literature

[moonorchid]

"more than a question of style, nor is it, as some suppose, a question of theme. It is in the character of the treatment that we must seek it. In all great vital literature, the theme, great or small, is considered in all its relation to the sum-total of things, to the Infinite, as we phrase it, in decadent literature the relations, the due

Comments

interesting

[vivisectstephen]

So decadence is having nothing really to say?

Re: interesting

[moonorchid]

heh. Have you ever read "Against Nature" by Huysmann? I'd say you're not far off. I love it, though. The way I would say is that decadence means interpreting things completely through an aesthetic lens. Especially when they are things that have content that's normally considered too serious to abandon to aesthetics.

Re: interesting

[stanleylieber]

Sounds like the criticism commonly given to art which "says" something the critic doesn't want to hear.