The meaning of the word "decadence" Characteristic features of the literature of decadence What does decadence mean?

Once again, listening to Agatha’s favorite song, I suddenly thought that I understand the concept of decadence (forgive the tautology) very roughly. I started surfing the internet and this is what I dug up:
Wikipedia says
Decadence - [decade], -a; Wed [from French decadent - decadent], Decadence [de], -a; m. [French] decadence from lat. decadentia - fall] - 1. Decline, cultural regression; originally used as a historical term to refer to cultural phenomena of the Roman Empire in the 2nd-4th centuries. 2. Modernist movement in art from XIX century to AD. XX centuries, characterized by adherence to non-classical aesthetics, sophisticated aestheticism, individualism, immoralism. Its founders acted primarily as opponents of old art movements, mainly naturalism and realism. The principles they proclaimed were initially of a purely formal nature: the decadents demanded the creation of new forms in art, more flexible and more consistent with the complicated worldview of modern man.

Soviet critical thought considered decadence as a general name for the crisis phenomena of European culture of the 2nd half of the 19th - early 20th centuries, marked by moods of hopelessness, rejection of life, and individualist tendencies. A complex and contradictory phenomenon, its source is a crisis of public consciousness, the confusion of many artists in the face of the sharp social antagonisms of reality. Decadent artists considered art’s refusal of political and civil themes to be a manifestation and an indispensable condition for creative freedom. Constant themes are the motives of non-existence and death, longing for spiritual values ​​and ideals.
Not interesting.... Let's jump further.
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Decadence as it is
Decadence, or rather decadence (from the French Decadence - decline, decay; from the Latin Decadentia - translated as fall) is a frequently encountered concept in philosophy, history, culture, as well as in all types of creativity - music, poetry, prose, paintings. Decadence touched almost everything with its decadent mood.

Decadence is not a concept, not a style, but a mood. Despair, when you no longer need anything, powerlessness and disappointment, both in the world and in yourself. And it was precisely this impotence that gave birth to great masterpieces, which by no means made their creators any happier. They remained misunderstood, both by the public and they themselves did not understand the purpose of their birth. Many ended their existence in hospitals for the mentally ill, or in the embrace of alcoholism.

Decadence originated in Europe at the end of the 19th century under the influence of revolutions, as a protest of the generally accepted “philistine morality”, as a disgust not only for life, but also a disgust for frameworks, traditions and foundations, but at the same time elevating depravity to a cult and making sin more aesthetically pleasing. Only in this did the decadents find pleasure - to make shame aesthetic, and to find joy in savoring feelings, only after experiencing disgust for them.

Misunderstanding and rejection from society only increased the pleasure, stimulating decadents to find more and more sophisticated altars for “rose petals covered with a miasma of vice.”
Oh, how I bent it... Interesting but difficult for the common man to understand.
Having sifted through a bunch of information, I came up with my thesis: decadence is not easy beautiful word, pale ladies in black dresses and casual relationships. This is a lifestyle, a coloring of the soul, if you may. Quite relevant these days, don’t you think? Decline of moral strength. Lack of faith in people, in yourself. Complete disappointment. I have met people who, without knowing it, were an excellent example of decadence.
And I myself can barely stand on this line, between the world of people living with some kind of faith in their souls. And because it leaves no chance to get out of the darkness.
Which path will you choose? Decadence is attractive. But this is a whirlpool from which few have escaped alive.

DECADENCE- a special perception, feeling of the surrounding world, resulting in one or another decadent state and prevailing in certain social circles. DECADENCE- an artistic movement in art (at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries), which had a direct impact on literature. The aesthetics of decadence is based on a special worldview and feeling, based on a conscious departure from reality, on a mood of despondency, decline, partly pessimism, an appeal to the world of internal experiences and ideas, as well as to fantasy, whimsical, unclear motives, etc. Examples of decadent literature include some works by such authors as P. Verlaine, C. Baudelaire, F. Kafka, O. Wilde and others.

Decadence (Podoprigora)

DECADENTITY [fr. decadence - decay, decline] - the concept of historical, historical-philosophical and historical-cultural traditions, used in describing the cyclical processes of life . It became widespread and gained a certain scientific respectability after the publication of Montesquieu’s work “Discourse on the Causes of the Greatness and Fall of the Romans.”

Decadence is a word of French origin. Denotes decline, decay, decomposition of the structures of society. How the concept was introduced into use by French historians in the 19th century.

History of education

Initially, this concept referred to events that took place in the Roman Empire during the period of the 2nd-4th centuries. Against the background of the decline of the economy, the formation of contradictions in society, the decline in the level of morality and political contradictions, areas of culture and art are actively developing and thriving.

Writers, philosophers, artists and musicians of those times promoted occultism and mysticism to the masses. Due to dissatisfaction with the current situation, the works idealize antiquity, giving it a romantic shade. Even the style of conversation in society is returning to the style of the old days.

A striking example of works of that time is “The Golden Ass” by Apuleius. The work describes the adventures of a representative of the nobility against the backdrop of witchcraft, ironic remarks and immoral eroticism. All this shows how much worse the moral principles of society have become.

Due to the fact that an admixture of the mystical appears in creativity, it can be safely noted that society has tried to detach itself from everyday life, politics and economic problems. There is a certain force in the works that fulfills a person’s desires and indulges his base impulses.

Later, at the end of the 19th century, similar sentiments struck the masters and philosophers of Europe. There was a new decline in social manifestations, political trends changed. Apathy, sensitivity and a painful perception of what is happening have settled in the ranks of the creative elite. Plots about death, eternal love and the beauty of the surrounding world appeared in the works. The images of the characters are shocking: undisguised eroticism and sensuality, a mystical view of things, faith in symbolism.

By the end of the 19th century, society was developing at a rapid pace, and a lot of information appeared in people's minds that could be applied in practice. Therefore, decadence took the form of intricate and veiled manifestations. It can no longer be called an art direction in full - it is the mood of the times.

Manifestation of decadence in art

• Literature within the framework of decadence, it includes movements such as neo-romanticism, modernism and symbolism. The works took on magnificent forms due to sublime epithets, comparative phrases and vivid images. The writing style does not have a specific character: it is melancholy, aggressive attitude, and nostalgia. Against the background of social decline, the poems of Théophile Gautier, Charles Baudelaire, Paul Varlin, and Arthur Rimbaud show the decline of the divine. The prose of decadence is worth studying using the example of Oscar Wilde's "Salome". It contains eroticism, anxiety of thoughts, and an appeal to biblical myths. Also known in literature are Charles de Montesquieu, Victor Hugo, Charles Baudelaire, Zinaida Gippius, Dmitry Merezhkovsky, Valery Bryusov, Fyodor Sologub, Innokenty Annensky, Konstantin Balmont, Nikolai Dobrolyubov.
• Dramaturgy. We can trace the desire of every person for a happy life, the search for a path within the framework of existence. The brightest work of those times is “The Blue Bird” by Maurice Materlinck.
• Painting. Pictures of that time are painted in thick colors, people's faces are cold and sad. Here, as in literature, each artist chose his own style. The works reflected mythical subjects, biblical scenes and realistic events. At that time, Mikhail Vrubel, Romaine Brooks, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and Frans von Stuck were working on their works.
• Music. During the period of decadence, myths, fairy tales, ballads, and legends were revised. In works it became important to express the mood of the new time, the degree of change in life, and to renounce standards. Music for ballet takes on new forms - it now places emphasis on costumes, movements of characters, and scenery. Famous works by Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Sergei Diaghilev, Johann Strauss, Alexander Borodin, Igor Stravinsky, Balilla Pratella, Luigi Russolo, Claude Debussy.

Decadence of modernity

In modern times, decadence continues to be revered and illuminated for society. At the beginning of the century in St. Petersburg, prose writer Marusya Klimova and artist Timur Novikov held the “Dark Nights” art festival in the style of decadence. Later, this idea was picked up by journalist Vladimir Preobrazhensky and the Boston Tea Party group and held a new Moscow festival.

Modern decadence strives to become a separate movement, “Courtly Decadence.” It is a community of designers, musicians, dancers, artists, immersed in an atmosphere of esotericism, mysticism, grace, and aristocracy. In fact, it is an art-house interpretation of decadence.

Decadence

Decadence

DECADENTITY (“decadence”, from the French “decadence” - decline) is a term to designate a literary movement that appeared in France in the 80s. XIX century and in the 90s - 900s that arose in Russia, Germany and other countries.
Throwed by criticism hostile to this trend as derogatory, negative, this designation was picked up by its representatives and turned into a slogan. Along with D., the following terms are also used to designate this pan-European movement of poetry and art: “modernism,” “neo-romanticism,” and “symbolism.” Of these terms, “modernism” (from the French “moderne” - modern, newest) should be discarded due to its lack of content; “neo-romanticism” should be considered insufficient, because it indicates only the typological similarity of this movement in a number of features with the romanticism of the early 19th century, and not its specific features (for the defense of this term, see S. A. Vengerov, Stages of the neo-romantic movement). Nowadays, along with D., the most commonly used term is “symbolism.” Some consider these terms to mean the same thing. However, while preserving the rights of citizenship of everyone, they should be differentiated. “Symbolism” as a term is broader than the term “D.”, which is essentially one of the varieties of symbolism (see). The term "symbolism" - an art history category - successfully designates one of the most important signs style that arises on the basis of D.’s psyche. But it is possible to distinguish other styles that arise on the same basis (for example, impressionism). And at the same time, “symbolism” can free itself from D. (for example, the fight against D. in Russian symbolism). Sometimes the term D. was used in biological sense, meaning pathological signs of psycho-physical degeneration in the field of culture (M. Nordau and others). From a sociological point of view, the term D. is applicable to designate manifestations of the socio-psychological complex characteristic of any social class that is in a stage of decline, especially the descending ruling class, along with which the whole system of social relations declines (Plekhanov, Art and Social Life) . Characteristics D. are usually considered: subjectivism, individualism, amoralism, departure from society, taedium vitae, etc., which is manifested in art by corresponding themes, separation from reality, the poetics of art for art’s sake, aestheticism, the decline in the value of content, the predominance of form, technical tricks , external effects, styling, etc.
Examples abound in the era of the decline of bourgeois capitalism, in ancient times - the era of the fall of the Roman Empire, etc.
The most prominent representatives of D. in the West are: C. Baudelaire, P. Verlaine, Fr. Nietzsche, Maeterlinck, Huysmans, Przybyshevsky and others. The group of Russian decadents is the so-called. "older generation" in the 80s - 90s. formed by such poets and fiction writers as Balmont, A. Dobrolyubov, Konevskoy, F. Sologub, Merezhkovsky, Zinaida Gippius, as well as the “early” Bryusov. If, in Plekhanov’s opinion, the literary development of Russian literature did not yet fully correspond to the system of capitalist relations that existed in Russia, then its roots should be sought in the reaction conditions of the 80s and early 90s. Russian decadents learned from decadent artists in a country where the system of capitalist relations was already declining, and the bourgeoisie had managed to single out its own decadent writers. That is why “brought to us from the West, it is with us,” Plekhanov points out, “and does not cease to be what it was at home: a product of the pale sickness that accompanies the decline of the ruling class in Western Europe».
After the revolution of 1905, decadent writers became very popular, because their work was in tune with the decadent moods of those social groups that turned away from the revolution.

Literary encyclopedia. - At 11 t.; M.: Publishing House of the Communist Academy, Soviet Encyclopedia, Fiction. Edited by V. M. Fritsche, A. V. Lunacharsky. 1929-1939 .

Decadence

(from Late Lat. decadentia - decline), the general name of cultural movements in the end. 19 – beginning 20th century They were characterized, according to critics, by crisis, decadent, pessimistic moods, opposition to traditional culture and “philistine” morality, and an aestheticization of sin and vice. The main motifs of decadent literature are death, hopelessness, unlimited personal freedom, extreme individualism, admiration for morbid beauty. The leitmotifs of decadence were embodied not only in literature, but also in painting, music, etc. The motives of decadence first appeared in French literature, among symbolist poets. In England, similar moods are typical for creativity Pre-Raphaelites. In Russian In literature, decadentism includes the work of the older generation of symbolists - the poems of D.S. Merezhkovsky, Z.N. Gippius, F.K. Sologuba, stories and stories by L.N. Andreeva. Many other famous writers experienced the influence of the decadents (for example, O. Wilde, M. Maeterlinck, G. Hofmannsthal, R.M. Rilke, V. Ya. Bryusov, A.A. Block), who began to create in the era of decadence.

Literature and language. Modern illustrated encyclopedia. - M.: Rosman. Edited by prof. Gorkina A.P. 2006 .

See what “Decadence” is in other dictionaries:

DECADENT, DECADENTITY The term décadent appears in French literature in the late 70s and early 80s, when a circle of poets joined the fight against the Parnassians around S. Mallarmé and P. Verlaine. “This movement began to intensify at the beginning... ... History of words

- [fr. decadence Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

Degradation, fall, decadence, decline, impoverishment, decadence Dictionary of Russian synonyms. decadence see decline Dictionary of synonyms of the Russian language. Practical guide. M.: Russian language. Z. E. Alexandrova ... Dictionary of synonyms

- (French decadence, from late Latin decadentia decline), the general name for the crisis phenomena of European culture in the second half XIX beginning XX centuries, marked by moods of hopelessness, rejection of life, and individualist tendencies. A number of features... Art encyclopedia

- (French decadence, from late Latin decadentia decline), the general name for crisis phenomena of the bourgeoisie. con culture 19 start 20 centuries, marked by moods of hopelessness, rejection of life, and individualism. Initially characterized... ... Philosophical Encyclopedia

- (French decadence, in medieval Latin decadentia decline), designation of a movement in literature and art of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, characterized by opposition to generally accepted bourgeois morality, the cult of beauty as a self-sufficient value, ... ... Modern encyclopedia

- (French decadence; from the medieval Latin decadentia decline) designation of a movement in literature and art. 19 start 20 centuries, characterized by opposition to generally accepted bourgeois morality, the cult of beauty as a self-sufficient value,... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

- (French decadence, decay, decline) the concept of historical, historical-philosophical and historical-cultural traditions, used in describing the cyclical processes of the life of civilizations. It has become widespread and received a certain scientific... ... The latest philosophical dictionary

DECADENTITY, decadence, plural: no, cf. (from the French decadent decadent) (lit., lawsuit). Literary and artistic movement at the end of the 19th century. and the beginning of the 20th century, characterized by decadence, extreme aestheticism and individualism, which preceded... ... Dictionary Ushakova

DECADENTITY, ah, cf. At the end of 19.00. 20th century: general name for non-realistic movements in literature and art, characterized by moods of decadence, refined aestheticism and individualism. | adj. decadent, oh, oh. Explanatory dictionary... ... Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

Books

• Igor Severyanin. Works in 5 volumes (set of 5 books), Igor Severyanin. Igor Severyanin was called the “king of poets”, and there is some truth in this - with a regal and stately step, his poems entered the golden fund silver age. His poems have subtle lyrics, and...

What is decadence?

In Europe at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, the bourgeois economy increasingly replaced the feudal-serf system, which gave rise to decadent sentiments in society. They were expressed especially clearly in art. The ideas of this art, like many other things, were borrowed by Russian poets from Western ones. Denoted by the French word “decadence,” that is, “decline,” this movement found many admirers in Russia.

What is decadence: a little history of the concept

Decadence means regression in culture, its decline. Initially, this term was used to refer to cultural phenomena of the Roman Empire in the 2nd-4th centuries.

In addition, this term is used to denote a movement in the art of the 19th and 20th centuries: in literature, music, creative thought, self-expression, etc. The term "decadence" can be attributed to authors of the late 19th century associated with aestheticism and symbolism and at the same time who combined the features of early romanticism in his work.

The very idea of ​​decadence originates in the 18th century (Montesquieu), then critics began to use this term to designate romanticism, thereby giving it a negative assessment. A little later, authors appeared who began to characterize their work with the word “decadence” with pride, considering it ordinary progress. Decadent authors, for example, can be considered Charles Baudelaire, Théophile Gautier, Oscar Wilde, Maurice Maeterlinck, etc.

If we define the development of decadence in history, then it can be attributed to the transition period between romanticism and modernism.

Signs of Decadence

The Decadents opposed old trends and looked for new, more flexible forms that could better convey the complex worldview of man.

Decadence in Russia

Anyone who wants to better understand what decadence is on Russian cultural soil can get acquainted with the work of symbolist poets K. Balmont and A. Blok. "Symbolism" is the second name of the decadent school in the literature of that time.