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Decadents, Dandies and Deviants (P02726)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 11 ? Acronym : LLC-P-P02726

Caught between the Victorian and the Modern, Aestheticism and Decadence were manifestations of a time laden with anxieties and with a heady sense of possibility. “Not the fruit of experience, but experience itself, is the end,” Walter Pater said of art and life, arguing further that success in life was to maintain this ecstasy. The late nineteenth century was a crucial moment in the formation and transformation of literature; it saw great technological advances, social reforms, and cultural and artistic upheavals.

The aim of this course is to examine some of the key works of this often overlooked but fascinating period. From the outset, it seemed there was something unwholesome, criminal, and even pathological in Aestheticism and Decadence and this course will reevaluate these concerns. The course therefore aims to explain the ways in which Aestheticism and Decadence shifted from artistic movements to cultural phenomena, and to clarify the concurrent shift in ideas about degeneration.

Entry Requirements

? This course is not available to visting students.

Subject Areas

Home subject area

English Literature, (School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, Schedule G)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : Postgraduate

? Delivery Period : Not being delivered

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 10 weeks

? Other Required Attendance : 1 hour(s) per week for 10 weeks

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Thursday	09:00	10:50	Central

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes A student who successfully completes this course should be able to:
comprehend the Continental origins of the art for art's sake movement
understand how Aestheticism and Decadence manifested themselves within American and British literature
evaluate the significance of Aestheticism and Decadence in the formation of Modernism