View source for Decadence (fanspeak)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Decadence}}(Did you mean the [[Decadence|filk convention]]?)


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The condition of society, especially the arts, in a period which follows the high point of a culture and precedes its complete breakup. Rome was in such a state for centuries; according to Spengler's thesis in ''The Decline of the West'', the entire Occidental world shows the characteristic features. Decadence is of course strongest in the cities; in the [[US]], in the Eastern cities and [[Hollywood]]. The [[Futurians]] of [[New York]] were [[fandom]]'s number one exhibit; but they delighted in decadence, regarding it as a sign that a new order was on the way to replace the old. (Another alternative to a gloomy view is [[DeCamp]]'s belief that modern technology has made it virtually impossible for the world ever again to slip all the way into barbarism.) 
 
A decadent period may still produce very worthwhile literature -- a sort of Silver Age following the Golden -- but is more likely to run to extremes of technique. Emotional content has branched into two trends, which also apply to the other arts: <br>
(1) technical and abstract, which most people find insipid; <br>
(2) sharp and pungent, seeking for higher emotional feeling. 
 
In all fields there's a striving after something which may provide the basis for a new and vigorous art to arise. In [[poetry]] modern decadence has been marked by ''[[vers libre]]'' and such; [[photography]] having replaced painting in the visual arts to a large extent, a new justification for the older medium is sought in interpretations or abstractions; in music there is a striving for dissonances, unusual rhythms, and effects. In humor [[Double-Inverted Humor|doubleinversion]] and the New Yorker sort of detached amusement at everything predominate. Eroticism is strong. Social customs in our decadence come under the headings of thrill-seeking and [[bohemianism]]. 
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The condition of society and especially of the arts in a period which follows the high point of a culture and precedes its complete breakup. Rome was in such a state for centuries, and according to Spengler's thesis in ''The Decline of the West'', the entire Occidental world shows the characteristic features; and his foresite has been borne out by later events. Decadence is strongest of course in the cities, particularly, in the [[US]], in the Eastern cities and in [[Hollywood]]. The [[Futurians]] of [[New York]] are [[fandom]]'s number one exhibit. They delite in decadence, however, regarding it as a sign that a new order is on the way to replace the old. Another alternative to a gloomy view is [[de Camp]]'s belief that modern technology has made it virtually impossible for the world ever again to slip all the way into barbarism. 
 
A decadent period may still produce very worth while literature, a sort of silver age following the golden age, but it is more likely to go to extremes of technique. In [[poetry]] our decadence has been marked by ''[[vers libre]]'' and something we mite call [[dadaism]]. In humor [[Double-Inverted Humor|double-inversion]] and the New Yorker sort of detached amusement at everything are predominant. [[Fotografy]] having replaced painting in large parts of its old field, a new justification is sought in interpretations of abstractions. In music there is a striving for dissonances, unusual rhythms, and effects. Emotional content has branched into two trends, which also apply to the other arts: (1) cold, technical, and abstract, which most people find insipid; (2) sharp, pungent, and seeking for higher emotional feeling. 
 
In all fields there's a striving after something which may provide the basis for a new and vigorous art to arise. Eroticism is strong. Social customs in our decadence come under the headings of thrill-seeking and [[Bohemianism]]. 
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