{"product_id":"decadence-a-very-short-introduction-9780190610227","title":"Decadence: A Very Short Introduction","description":"The history of decadent culture runs from ancient Rome to nineteenth-century Paris, Victorian London, \u003cem\u003efin de si�cle \u003c\/em\u003eVienna, 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 \u003cem\u003e� Rebours\u003c\/em\u003e to Oscar Wilde's \u003cem\u003eThe Picture of Dorian Gray\u003c\/em\u003e, Aubrey Beardsley's drawings, Gustav Klimt's paintings, and numerous other works. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn this \u003cem\u003eVery Short Introduction, \u003c\/em\u003e 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eABOUT THE SERIES: \u003c\/strong\u003eThe\u003cem\u003e Very Short Introductions\u003c\/em\u003e 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Oxford University Press, USA\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/10\/2018\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780190610227\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 160\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.50lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 6.80h x 4.30w x 0.50d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 12\/01\/2018\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"David Weir","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":36635054178460,"sku":"9780190610227","price":11.04,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_b762b007-f1cb-4f49-b75e-5d1f6c777340.jpg?v=1603838414","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/decadence-a-very-short-introduction-9780190610227","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}