Postgraduate Course: Decadence in European Art and Literature, 1857-1914 (CLLC11026)
Course Outline
| School | School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Common Courses (School of Lit, Lang and Cult) |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | Decadence is one of the most fascinating and controversial literary and artistic movements that emerged in Europe in the second half of the nineteenth century. Particularly prominent during the fin-de-siècle when it produced such ground-breaking and provocative works as Huysman's Against Nature (1884), Rachilde's Monsieur Venus (1884) and Wilde's The Portrait of Dorian Gray (1892), it acts as a transition between Romanticism and the experiments of Modernism. This course will study key texts of European Decadence - including works by Baudelaire, Sacher-Masoch, Proust, Wilde and Thomas Mann - in their cultural, historical and intellectual contexts and explore the themes and motifs that characterise the Decadent imagination and are symptomatic of the obsessions of fin-de-siècle Europe more widely: degeneracy and decline, the primacy of art over nature, the cult of beauty, transgressive sexualities. Particular emphasis will be given to the reversal of sex and gender norms in Decadent fiction and art, on the movement's overlap with Naturalism and Symbolism, and on the dialogue between literature, painting and music during the fin-de-siècle, especially around artists such as Richard Wagner, Gustave Moreau and Aubrey Beardsley. The course will provide a framework for exploring Decadence in a comparative and interdisciplinary perspective, examining its cultural and intellectual roots and discussing its legacy in twentieth- and twenty-first century literature and culture. Texts can be studied in either the original or in translation. No prior knowledge of art history or music is necessary. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
| The course invites the comparative study of literary works of different linguistic and cultural origin. It encourages the exploration of interrelations between different literatures and between literature and other arts such as music, painting and film. |
Assessment Information
| One essay of 4,000 words. |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Baudelaire, The Flowers of Evil (Oxford World Classics)
Huysmans, Against Nature (Oxford World Classics)
Mann, Death in Venice; Tristan; Tonio Kröeger (Vintage)
Nietzsche, The Case of Wagner (Random House)
Proust, Pleasures and Days (Hesperus)
Rachilde, Monsieur Venus (Dedalus)
Sacher-Masoch, Venus in Furs (Penguin)
Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray (Penguin)
---, Salome (Penguin)
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| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | DiEAL |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Marion Schmid
Tel: (0131 6)50 8409
Email: Marion.Schmid@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Natalie Carthy
Tel: (0131 6)50 6536
Email: Natalie.Carthy@ed.ac.uk |
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