Decadences - Morality and Aesthetics in British Literature

This volume follows shifting conceptions of decadence in art and society at various moments in British literature. The decline from a higher standard, social malaise, aesthetic ennui--all of these ideas presume certain facts about the past, the present, and time's linear nature. To reject the past as a given and to relish the subtleties of present nuance is the beginning of decadence. This study explores the inherent conflict between society's moral contempt toward purportedly decadent artists and the artist's belief that the stranglehold society maintained on individual interpretation was true decadence.

Acest volum urmeaza conceptii schimbatoare ale decadentei in arta si societate in diferite momente din literatura britanica. Declinul de la un standard superior, starea de rau sociala, innuiirea estetica - toate aceste idei presupun anumite fapte despre trecut, prezent si natura liniara a timpului.