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The Symbolist And Decadent Elements In The Lyrical Dramas Of Oscar Wilde, Nancy G. Nuckols

Master's Theses

The terms decadence, aestheticism, art for art's sake have been used interchangeably to describe the movement in literature that flowered during the 1890's in England. Despite the fact that the English aesthetics and decadents were a relatively small group, they were vocal and colorful. Many contributed to the numerous aesthetic and semi-aesthetic periodicals with such titles as The Chamelion, The Butter, The Rose Leaf, and The Hobby Horse. In this way the decadents presented the new trends in art and literature to the general public. In London during the 1890's the literacy taverns were full of these decadent artists who …