Decadence: A Very Short Introduction

· Oxford University Press
E-book
160
Mga Page
Kwalipikado
Hindi na-verify ang mga rating at review  Matuto Pa

Tungkol sa ebook na ito

The history of decadent culture runs from ancient Rome to nineteenth-century Paris, Victorian London, fin de siècle Vienna, Weimar Berlin, and beyond. The decline of Rome provides the pattern for both aesthetic and social decadence, a pattern that artists and writers in the nineteenth century imitated, emulated, parodied, and otherwise manipulated for aesthetic gain. What begins as the moral condemnation of modernity in mid-nineteenth century France on the part of decadent authors such as Charles Baudelaire ends up as the perverse celebration of the pessimism that accompanies imperial decline. This delight in decline informs the rich canon of decadence that runs from Joris-Karl Huysmans's À Rebours to Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, Aubrey Beardsley's drawings, Gustav Klimt's paintings, and numerous other works. In this Very Short Introduction, David Weir explores the conflicting attitudes towards modernity present in decadent culture by examining the difference between aesthetic decadence--the excess of artifice--and social decadence, which involves excess in a variety of forms, whether perversely pleasurable or gratuitously cruel. Such contrariness between aesthetic and social decadence led some of its practitioners to substitute art for life and to stress the importance of taste over morality, a maneuver with far-reaching consequences, especially as decadence enters the realm of popular culture today. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Tungkol sa may-akda

David Weir is Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature at Cooper Union, where he taught literature, linguistics, and cinema for 30 years. He has published books on Jean Vigo, James Joyce, William Blake, orientalism, anarchism, and decadence.

I-rate ang e-book na ito

Ipalaam sa amin ang iyong opinyon.

Impormasyon sa pagbabasa

Mga smartphone at tablet
I-install ang Google Play Books app para sa Android at iPad/iPhone. Awtomatiko itong nagsi-sync sa account mo at nagbibigay-daan sa iyong magbasa online o offline nasaan ka man.
Mga laptop at computer
Maaari kang makinig sa mga audiobook na binili sa Google Play gamit ang web browser ng iyong computer.
Mga eReader at iba pang mga device
Para magbasa tungkol sa mga e-ink device gaya ng mga Kobo eReader, kakailanganin mong mag-download ng file at ilipat ito sa iyong device. Sundin ang mga detalyadong tagubilin sa Help Center para mailipat ang mga file sa mga sinusuportahang eReader.