aestheticism and decadence (dorian) Flashcards
what was aestheticism
•a literary movement in late 19th century france and britain
what was aestheticism a reaction to
•the notion that art should have a utilitarian or social value
according to aesthetic movement, how does art justify itself
•by its own existence by expressing and embodying beauty
aesthetic movement slogan and what did it contrast
•”art for art’s sake”
•contrasted the perfection possible through art with what it regarded as the imperfections of nature & real life
•the artist shouldn’t be concerned with political or social issues
what was the aesthetic movement associated with in france
•the works of Charles Baudelaire, Gustave Flaubert and Stéphane Mallarmé
in england, who was the aesthetic movements chief theorist and what did he emphasize on
•Walter Pater
•in contrast to usual Victorian emphasis on work & social responsibility, Pater emphasized the fleeting nature of life and argued that the most important thing was to relish the exquisite sensations life brings, esp those stimulated by works of art
aesthetic movement aim
•to be fully present and to live vividly in each passing moment
what did Pater write in the “Conclusion” to his work Studies in the History of the Renaissance (1873), which is in effect a manifesto of the aesthetic movement
•”To burn always with this hard, gemlike flame, to maintain this ecstasy, is success in life.”
what is Pater’s quote in opposition to
•the prevailing Victorian mentality, with its emphasis on hard work, moral earnestness and material success
did wilde admire Pater
•wilde admired Pater, and it was Wilde who later became the representative figure of Aestheticism
example of Paters influence of TPDOG
•When dorian adopts Lord Henry’s belief that the aim of the new Hedonism “was to be experience itself, and not the fruits of experience”, he’s virtually quoting Pater’s “Conclusion” in which he writes “Not the fruit of experience, but experience itself, is the end.”
what was Pater a key figure in
•in the emergence of the later movement in England and France known as Decadence
when did the Decadence flourish
•in the last two decades of the 19th century, a period known as fin de siècle (end of the century)
what did decadent writers believe
•that western civilization was in a condition of decay, and they attacked the accepted moral and ethical standards of the day
what was the theory of Decadence
•that all “natural” forms and behaviors were inherently flawed; therefore highly artificial “unnatural” forms and styles were to be cultivated, in life as well as art
