| A Baedeker of Decadence: Charting a Literary Fashion, 1884–1927 Subjects: Decadence (Literary movement); European literature -- 19th century -- History and criticism; European literature -- 20th century -- History and criticism; During the final decades of the nineteenth century, a common mind-set emerged among many intellectuals--"la décadence." Many novels and novellas of the period were populated with protagonists who were fragile, refined, self-absorbed, and preoccupied with a trivially exquisite aesthetic. A Baedeker of Decadence presents thirty-two international works of literary decadence written between 1884 and 1927. George C. Schoolfield, a world authority on the decadent novel, offers an entertaining and wide-ranging commentary on this highly significant literary and cultural phenomenon. |