Edgar Saltus (April 23, 1855 – March 6, 1921) was an American writer, literary critic, and philosopher associated with the Decadent movement. He is noted for his literary essays, translations, and biographies, as well as for his advocacy of aestheticism and skepticism.
Early Life and Education
- Born in Yonkers, New York, to a family of modest means.
- Attended Columbia College (now Columbia University) but left without completing a degree.
- Influenced early on by classical literature and the works of Thomas Carlyle and Walter Pater.
Literary Career
- Began publishing essays and reviews in the 1880s, contributing to periodicals such as The Nation and The Atlantic Monthly.
- Gained recognition with the publication of The Philosophy of the Unseen (1889), a collection of essays exploring aesthetic and metaphysical themes.
- Authored several biographies, most notably The Life of Robert Louis Stevenson (1905) and Thomas Carlyle: A Study (1909), which were praised for their scholarly rigor and literary style.
- Produced translations of French Symbolist poets, including works by Charles Baudelaire and Stéphane Mallarmé, contributing to the introduction of Symbolist aesthetics to an English‑speaking audience.
Philosophical Views
- Embraced a form of philosophical skepticism, questioning religious dogma and conventional morality.
- Advocated for “art for art’s sake,” aligning with the Decadent ethos that art should be autonomous from utilitarian or moral constraints.
- Engaged in public debates on the role of literature in society, often defending the autonomy of the artist against utilitarian critics.
Later Years and Legacy
- Continued to write and lecture into the 1910s, though his output declined due to health issues.
- Died in New York City in 1921 at the age of 65.
- While never achieving mass popular fame, Saltus’s work influenced a small circle of American modernists and contributed to the early 20th‑century discourse on aestheticism and literary criticism.
- Contemporary scholars reference his essays when studying the transatlantic transmission of Decadent ideas and the development of American literary skepticism.
Selected Bibliography
- The Philosophy of the Unseen (1889)
- The Life of Robert Louis Stevenson (1905)
- Thomas Carlyle: A Study (1909)
- Aestheticism and Modern Thought (1913) – collection of essays
References
- H. R. Rines, Encyclopedia Americana, 1920 edition.
- Charles D. Jacobs, American Decadence: The Life and Work of Edgar Saltus, University Press, 1992.
See Also
- Decadent movement
- Aestheticism
- American literary criticism (late 19th–early 20th century)
