Art Criticism - The State University of New York

period."2 He traced the tradition back to antiquity when he described Dandyism
as a "very ancient" institution, "since Caesar, Catilline and Alcibiades
provide the most dazzling prototypes."] The historical or legendary character
of dandies was a constant topic throughout the nineteenth century. 4 This
association not only instills the idea of a noble lineage, but also assigns the
dandy an elevated cultural standing.
The increasing urbanization and industrialization of the late nineteenth
century played an important role in fashioning the character of the
dandy. The rampantfin-de-siecle pessimism caused many to derive a corollary
between the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian war and the decline of the Roman
Empire. In turn, the aristocracy became increasingly unpopular and the
ever-growing middle class made them feel particularly vulnerable. The desire
arose todistance oneself from the common horde, hence the association of the
Dandy with the aristocracy, and the origination of the term 'snob.' The decadents
cultivated a consciousness of their own, often resulting in a self-inflicted
alienation. They regarded modern scientific advances with pessimism
and despised the newly emerging vulgar democracy, epitomized by the bourgeoisie.
The superior nature of decadent aestheticism forbade professional
activity. Thus the decadent aesthete's life was characterized by irresponsibility
and inactivity. Coupled with the desire for individualism, the Dandy's former
preoccupation with elegance of bearing led to a sculpting of the self. In order
to retain his sense of individuality the dandy retreated from society and its
crowds and from all things commonplace. Commonplace often even extended
to gender. The sexes become blurred, and in his quest for the ultimate artificial
aesthetic, the dandy readily explored his female side, the woman in himself. For
the decadent aesthete, "instinctual reactions, passions and enthusiasms are
animal, and thus abominable."5
Among the decadent literary circles of the late 19th century, healthy
relationships with women were an exception, and in fact misogyny was the
rule. The m~or figures vacillated between impotence and perversion, and marriages
when they occurred, were often supplemented by affairs. Baudelaire
wrote: "Woman is the opposite of the dandy. Therefore she must inspire
horror. .. Woman is natural, that is to say abominable."6 The paradox is of
course that the dressed- and made-up woman exudes artificiality. The aesthete
who revered artificiality was forbidden this avenue of personal expression by
societal mores. The resentment of women common among the decadent literati
was perhaps a logical consequence of this inequality.
In lK. Huysmans' Against the Grain, des Esseintes is the personification
of the decadent dandy. It is commonly accepted that the character of
des Esseintes is the embodiment of lK. Huysmans' decadent trai~s. Huysmans
was a civil servant by profession and had a relatively modest income. The
character he creates in des Esseintes offers him an avenue, whereby he can
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Art Criticism