Decadents

The term 'decadents' refers to individuals, particularly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, who embraced a lifestyle characterized by excessive indulgence, moral decline, and a rejection of conventional social norms and values. Often associated with artistic and literary movements, decadents were fascinated by themes of aestheticism, artificiality, morbidity, and the breakdown of societal structures. They often reveled in luxury, sensuality, and unconventional experiences, expressing disillusionment with the perceived limitations of their era. decadents challenged traditional notions of beauty, morality, and good taste, favoring the bizarre and the perverse.

Decadents meaning with examples

• The Symbolist poets were seen as decadents, exploring themes of decay, corruption, and the perverse, often rejecting traditional poetic forms in favor of experimental styles. Their works delved into the darker aspects of human experience, embracing the grotesque and the macabre, challenging Victorian sensibilities and the idea of an objective and moral reality.
• Oscar Wilde, a prominent figure in the aesthetic movement, embodied the decadent spirit with his extravagant lifestyle, witty epigrams, and emphasis on beauty and artifice. His exploration of homosexuality and rejection of Victorian morality made him a controversial figure, embodying many qualities of the aesthetic, unconventional, and often scandalous decadents.
• The art world saw a rise in painters who could be considered decadents; they favoured themes of death, disease, and psychological instability. Their often dark and disturbing imagery reflected the perceived decline of Western civilization, utilizing unconventional colours and subject matter to evoke a sense of unease and moral decay.
• Some saw the increasing availability of drugs, alcohol and other vices as signs of a decadent society. The aristocracy, in particular, were accused of pursuing self-indulgent pleasures, exhibiting a disregard for social responsibility, and contributing to the moral decline of the nation during a time of extreme inequality.
• Literary critics often interpreted the work of many of the pre-Raphaelites and Symbolists as reflections of decadent artistic ideals. They explored themes of artificiality, obsession with beauty, and an embrace of emotional extremes, suggesting a world steeped in sensual pleasures, decay, and the rejection of conventional morality.