Like symbolism, decadence puts forth the idea that the function of literature is to evoke impressions and 'correspondences', rather than to realistically depict the world.. the decadent aestheticized decay and took pleasure in perversity. In decadent literature, sickness is preferable to health, not only because sickness was regarded as more interesting, but because sickness was construed as subversive, as a threat to the very fabric of society. By embracing the marginal, the unhealthy and the deviant, the decadents attacked bourgeois life, which they perceived as the chief enemy of art. .Asti Hustvedt
About This Quote
Decadence in literature is when a work of literature emphasizes the negative side of life. It shows actions that are not good and the results that happen when the actions are done. Artistic decays create a sense of artistic freedom, yet it's usually negative freedom. In other words, the freedom to go against society and do what you want to do, but in reality you can't get away from it.
In literature, this freedom is shown through characters that have been changed by their actions. It also shows a lack of morality. The characters may not be immoral, but the way the story has been told makes them look immoral.
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