The aim of the following study was to illustrate that the death of the protagonist in Thomas Mann’s novel, Death in Venice, was, in the end, not just a corporeal, but rather a spiritual one, and ultimately the result of his failure to explore the potential and true depth of human feeling. The definition of the term decadence as a state "against nature: the revulsion against both physical and human nature, preference for the artificial" (Ritter 1992, 87) served as the main theoretical basis of the study and proved helpful in articulating the protagonist’s tragic flaw, namely, his preference for the shallow image of mere physical beauty. Furthermore, the perceptive views of critics Hermann Luft and Rolf Günter Renner on the novel’s underlying conflict between the spiritual and physical conception of beauty helped to substantiate the study’s own stance on the negative implications of the type of aesthetic formalism that leads to the protagonist’s ultimate demise. Focusing on these aspects helped to provide an analysis of the novel that is not only restricted to a socio-political-historical context, but which sees the novel in general as the embodiment of an essential universal and timeless message and ideal, namely, that one must strive to penetrate the realm of physical, sensual phenomena in this world in order to reach the content, i.e. the spiritual, eternal attributes which lie behind it.

<p>Denna uppsats undersöker dekadensens betydelse för Klas Östergrens generationsroman <em>Gentlemen </em>(1980). Syftet är dels att uppmärksamma ett hittills förbisett författarskap, dels att applicera en teori som kan belysa <em>Gentlemen</em>. Frågeställningen utgår därmed ifrån hur dekadensen återspeglas i romanens huvudkaraktärsskildringar, samhällsstämningar och form.</p><p>Uppsatsens dekadensdefinition grundar sig i Paul Bourgets <em>Théorie de la decadence </em>(1883), där han skildrar samhällets, individens och språkets förfall. Utifrån dessa tankar antar jag en bred dekadensdefinition som fokuserar människans ambivalens inför att leva i en värdemässigt förfallen värld. Dekadensteorin är därmed utgångspunkten för analysen där jag genom närläsning urskiljer framträdande dekadenta drag.</p><p>Framförallt betydande är den s.k. Makten, och dess förväntningar på lojalitet, som orsak till undergångsstämningar. För att hantera samtidens mörker blir konsten en utväg likt, dekadensens artificiella paradis. Henry gör likt dandyn konst av sig själv och sina trygghetsskapande vardagsritualer, Leo försöker sin illojalitet trogen avslöja sanningen om Maktens lögner i sin poesi, och berättaren Klas berättar sanningen om Henry och Leo genom att skriva <em>Gentlemen</em>. Genom en homodiegetiskt berättare upplöses karaktärerna till deras handlingar, och intrigen till detaljerna. Därmed återfinns dekadensen både i bokens tematik och estetik.</p> / <p>This essay examines the importance of decadence in the generational novel <em>Gentlemen </em>(1980) by Klas Östergren. The aim is partly to draw attention to a neglected authorship, partly to apply a theory that can illuminate <em>Gentlemen.</em> That is why I ask how decadence is reflected in the novel's main characters, community atmosphere and form.</p><p>My definition of decadence is based on Paul Bourget's <em>Theorie de la decadence</em> (1883), in which he portrays society, individuals and the language's decline. With these thoughts in mind, I assume a broad definition of decadence that focuses on man's ambivalence towards life in a world that is fallen in sense of values. The theory of decadence is thus the starting point of this analysis through close reading, where I discern prominent aspects of decadence.</p><p>Especially significant is the so-called Makten (The Force), and its claims for loyalty, as a cause of apocalyptic atmosphere. In order to deal with this dark, contemporary period, art becomes a refuge in similar ways as the artificial paradises of the Decadent era. Henry, like a dandy turns himself and his comforting everyday rituals into art; Leo, faithful to his disloyalty, tries to uncover the truth about the lies of Makten in his poetry; and Klas the narrator tells the truth about Henry and Leo by writing <em>Gentlemen</em>. By a homodiegetic narrator the characters are dissolved into their actions and the plot into details. Thus, both the book's aesthetics and themes can be traced to decadence.</p>

本文從舞鶴的作品出發，試圖以「頹廢意識」作為核心概念概括舞鶴的創作內涵。頹廢意識一詞起源於對於現代性的反省，演變為一種藝術風格，在尼采身上被深化，成為一個哲學詞彙，包含廣義社會學與心理學的描述，同時是現代性的象徵也是批判現代性的工具，以單子的面貌，指出人性的病徵與道德的虛偽。舞鶴的作品始於個體自由的追逐，不僅人物展現頹廢的風格，也在作品中飽含單子化的特色與現代國家軍隊的規訓體制的批判，從家族史的書寫意圖出發，伴隨著解構理體中心的衝動，藉由因母逝而開始運作的憂鬱與哀悼的心理過程，以及生之欲力與死亡驅力的爭鬥，還有對消失的父親的模仿與取代，醞釀為〈拾骨〉與〈悲傷〉中成熟的創作主體。本文並進一步從〈悲傷〉的分裂主體，帶出小說背後鄉土文學論戰產生的國族論述對抗與本土文化的興起與僵化，並藉由小說中從瘋狂與理性的拉扯開始，帶出舞鶴小說瘋狂與頹廢的形象背後，隱含著從死亡的威脅逃生後的形象， 後半段本文以《餘生》作代表，探討舞鶴成熟後的頹廢意識，如何在對歷史的大敘事對抗中運作，舞鶴超出舊有漢人對原住民形象的描述，從整體歷史的顛覆出發，開啟對於國家敘事與現代性文明的質疑。本文從列維納斯的他者哲學作為核心，陳述《餘生》乃是對於現代大屠殺創傷的見證，藉由頹廢的書寫行為開啟過去與現在連結的可能，打破倖存者的沉默，拯救放逐之地的餘生。由此診斷了現代社會的頹廢，找出廢墟裡的靈光，從自然與傳統中找到救贖的可能。

This work deals with the analysis of selected works by the famous Austrian writer Arthur Schnitzler. For the purpose of zeitgeist illustration the dramas Anatole and Reigen were used. The analysis of the works is preceded by theoretical section with a closer description of the socio-historical situation in Vienna at the turn of the 19th and 20 century. A part of the main section is a short treatise on the importance of one-act plays cycle in the development of the author´s works, dramas analysis and characterization of the characters, on the basis of which the conclusions are drawn about the image of Victorian society, which the author deals with in his works . The last part concludes the analysis and provides an outline description of the image and the zeitgeist as it can be deduced on the basis of both Schnitzler´s dramas compared to socio-historical knowledge of that time.

[pt] Investiga-se a proposta reformista e emancipadora exposta por Antônio Sérgio nos Ensaios e na História de Portugal, segundo a tese de que o problema da cultura é apresentado a fim de identificar a formação da elite intelectual. O que diz respeito à vivência do autor junto a grupos de intelectuais dedicados ao ressurgimento nacional nos primeiros anos da República, como também à escolha de certa tradição para explicar o estado atual da nação e a necessidade da revolução cultural. Trata-se, assim, de fixar as raízes históricas da formação do intelectual para que o teor pedagógico da obra ultrapasse a época de sua produção e seja reconhecido pelo leitor futuro como instrumento de emancipação. Ocorre que a própria noção de emancipação nasce da apreensão da história nacional como decadência na épica de Luís Vaz de Camões, quando se desvela o modo de proceder frente a tal situação: a denúncia. A disciplina de denúncia reflete a experiência histórica da decadência que conforma a consciência dos intelectuais a partir da concepção de excepcionalidade e luminosidade atribuídas ao quinhentismo português. O estado de decadência se evidencia na atualidade pela esperança de que as mudanças conduzam à glória passada, porquanto a mentalidade ou o problema da cultura em Portugal tem por fundamento a consciência de que a nação dos Descobrimentos é promessa que não se cumpriu. / [en] It examines into the reformist and emancipationist proposal explained by Antônio Sérgio in Essays and History of Portugal, according to the proposition that the problem of culture is presented in order to identify the formation of the intelectual elite. What concerns the experience of the author next to groups of intelectuals dedicated to the nacional resurgence in the first years of the Republic, as well as the choise of a particular tradition to explain the current state of the nation and the need of the cultural revolution. Thus, it aims at setting the historical sources of the formation of intelectual so that the pedagogic gist of the work exceeds the time of its prodution and is recognized by the futur reader as instrument of the emancipation. But the notion itself of the emancipation emerges from the perception of the national history as decadence in the epic of Luiz Vaz de Camões, which clarifies the way of behaving facing such situation: the denunciation. The discipline of denunciation reflects the historic experience of the decadence that forms the awareness of the intelectuals from the concept of exceptionality and luminosity atributed to the portuguese quinhentismo. The state of decadence becomes evident in the present time by the hope that the changes lead to the pass glory, since the mentality or the problem of the culture in Portugal has as foundation the awareness that the nation of the Discoveries is unfulfilled promise.

No description available.

The goal of the work advanced is to examine the problems of the Czech literary decadence, the term itself and the possible limits of its use. As a basic material we investigate a corpus of texts belonging mainly to the short story genre, also paying attention to the model of a decadent novel and being interested in the most significant decadent features. The problems of literary decadence do not belong to profoundly explored topics in the history of the Czech literature, incidentally conditioned by the preference of the symbolist and decadent poetry. That is why this work was to present some texts themselves, potentially representative for the model of a decadent short story genre and of certain artistic value. The text of this work consists of three main parts. The first presents the possibilities of progressive insight into the topic, its cultural and philosophical context, showing two model novels (Huysmans{\crq} A Rebours and Wilde{\crq}s The Picture of Dorian Gray) as different but relevant types of the decadent living scheme, the specific conception of life and the role of art in it. The second part applies several theoretical questions onto the topic, constructing the form. In the final part more than two tens of original Czech short stories are concerned and the thematic composition analysed, that at least some questions asked in the previous parts could be answered and certain theses postulated proved.

1 Abstract The main aim of this thesis is to analyse and compare in various aspects two literary works Tiempo de silencio by Luis Martín-Santos and El árbol de la ciencia by Pío Baroja. The work focuses on the social decadence of the society, mainly in the field of science and its insufficiency. In spite of the fifty year, the works of art are linked with similar problems in the area of science. These works of art have many similarities, such as the autobiographical style, the lack of science in the time period and the tragic destiny of the main characters. Baroja, with The Generation 98, considered the topic of science to be very important and due to the underdeveloped state of science in Spain in comparison to the rest of Europe, Spain had to face to the strong criticism. Martín-Santos also shared these views on science and even though he criticised Baroja for his political views, there was still a considerably influence in his first book. Key words: Tiempo de silencio, El árbol de la ciencia, Generation of, 98, science, social decadence

This Ph. D. thesis investigates the use of fantasy by British and Irish 'Decadent' authors and illustrators, including Oscar Wilde, Max Beerbohm, Aubrey Beardsley, 'Vernon Lee' (Violet Paget), Ernest Dowson, and Charles Ricketts. Furthermore, this study demonstrates why fantasy was an apposite form for literary Decadence, which is defined in this thesis as a supra-generic mode characterized by its anti-mimetic impulse, its view of language as autonomous and artificial, its frequent use of parody and pastiche, and its transgression of boundaries between art forms. Literary Decadence in the United Kingdom derives its view of autonomous language from Anglo-German Romantic philology and literature, consequently being distinguished from French Decadence by its resistance to realism and Naturalism, which assume language's power to signify the 'real world'. Understanding language to be inorganic, Decadent writers blithely countermand notions of linguistic fitness and employ devices such as catachresis, paradox, and tautology, which in turn emphasize the self-referentiality of Decadent texts. Fantasy furthers the Decadent argument about language because works of fantasy bear no specific relationship to 'reality'; they can express anything evocable within language, as J.R.R. Tolkien demonstrates with his example of "the green sun" (a phrase that can exist independent of the sun's actually being green). The thesis argues that fantasy's usefulness in underscoring arguments about linguistic autonomy explains its widespread presence in Decadent prose and visual art, especially in genres that had become associated with realism and Naturalism, such as the novel (Chapter 1), the short story (Chapter 3), drama (Chapter 4), and textual illustration (Chapter 2). The thesis also analyzes Decadents' use of a wholly non-realistic genre, the fairy tale (see Chapter 5), in order to delineate the consequences of their use of fantasy for the construction of character and gender within their texts.

The aristocratic novel in the twentieth century depicts the successes and failures of the aristocracy's efforts to come to terms with the social realities brought about by contemporary egalitarianism. Although several of the novels discussed are written by aristocrats, the aristocratic novel as such refers to novels about the aristocracy as a social grouping. Seven authors are selected to represent fictional treatment of a class in crisis, struggling between decadence and resilience: V. Sackville-West, Evelyn Waugh, Nancy Mitford, Elizabeth Bowen, Molly Keane, L.P. Hartley and Emma Tennant. Sackville-West faces and chronicles the inevitable decay of her class, yet cannot refrain from mourning its gracious past. To her, the manor house symbolizes an ancient idyllic symbiosis between aristocrat and worker. To Evelyn Waugh, the aristocracy embodies the finest achievements of inherited English culture. He regards its decline as the crumbling of Christian civilization itself. Resilience against the rising proletariate lies in faith and a chivalrous other-worldliness associated with the old Catholic aristocracy. Mitford uses comedy to defend the ideals of service and honour which she sees undermined by vulgarity and mercantilism. She resists her opponents with lethal swipes of raillery. Bowen and Keane deal with the decline of the Irish Protestant Ascendancy. The heirs of the ascendancy have to cope with the paralysing bequest of a more vital past. Ironically, resilience lies in breaking with their heritage. Hartley appears to criticize the class structure, but his work reveals a fascination for the captivating myth of patrician life. Tennant, representing an aristocracy which has profited from the resurgence of wealth in Thatcherite Britain, is unsparingly caustic on the condition of her class. Her satiric writing presents an ethical resurgence that goes beyond the mere financial recovery of her society. The genre examined suggests a primal need among urbanized citizens for the myth of an heroic order. In the finest aristocratic novels, admiration for an imitable superior order is used to rally a consciousness of a venerable ethical establishment. What is threatened or lost is not merely wealth and privilege, but aristokratos - government by the best. / English Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (English)