Neo-Decadence is a contemporary artistic movement, primarily focused on literature, but which embraces other modes of creative activity. Though influenced by the aesthetic ideology of the 19th-century Decadent movement, it may be understood as much as a reaction against other trends in contemporary literature as a resurrection of the original movement. In general, Neo-Decadence has more in common with avant-garde literary movements such as Symbolism, Decadence, and Futurism than with genre fiction categories such as speculative fiction or horror, with which it is often compared.
Origins
The term "Neo-Decadence" as it relates to the Neo-Decadent movement was first used in the cover copy of Brendan Connell's 2005 novel The Translation of Father Torturo, in which the principal character is referred to as a "neo-decadent anti-hero." In 2010, Connell published the "Manifesto of Neo-Decadence" on a website called gestaltmash.com. In 2018, Drowning in Beauty: The Neo-Decadent Anthology was published, which included both the first manifesto and a Second Manifesto of Neo-Decadence, written by Justin Isis.
Characteristics
Neo-Decadence, which has also been called "Post-Naturalism," according to Daniel Corrick in his introduction to Drowning in Beauty: The Neo-Decadent Anthology, "involves a shift in aesthetic consciousness, an altered mental state which temporarily negates our awareness of whatever utilitarian social purposes an object or person might serve. Exploration of beauty and its meaning becomes the aim of consciousness."
In the collaborative essay "Against Neo-Passéism," Neo-Decadence is defined in contrast to Neo-Passéism, which is described as "the unexamined artistic logic of capitalist realism," a blanket term denoting various trends in contemporary art and writing, particularly those with a nostalgic nature or overreliance on popular culture tropes.
Some Neo-Decadent authors, such as Damian Murphy, are practicing occultists and consider their work to be written in metaphysical opposition to what they perceive as the prevailing materialist assumptions of mainstream fiction. Other preoccupations of the movement include fashion, self-absorption, obsession, drugs, cuisine, and excessive retro-gaming.
Notable Works
- 2005: The Translation of Father Torturo by Brendan Connell
- 2010: Metrophilias by Brendan Connell
- 2011: I Wonder What Human Flesh Tastes Like by Justin Isis
- 2016: Rule Dementia by Quentin S. Crisp
- 2017: Daughters of Apostasy by Damian Murphy
- 2018: Drowning in Beauty: The Neo-Decadent Anthology, edited by Justin Isis and Daniel Corrick
- 2020: Invisibility: A Manifesto by Audrey Szasz
- 2020: The Neo-Decadent Cookbook, edited by Brendan Connell and Justin Isis
- 2021: Neo-Decadence: 12 Manifestos, edited by Justin Isis
- 2022: Heqet by Brendan Connell
- 2023: Surrender to a Stranger by Jeremy Reed
- 2023: Neo-Decadence Evangelion, edited by Justin Isis
Reception and Scholarship
The movement has received scholarly attention, including academic analysis of its postcolonial dimensions and its relationship to the hyper-digital landscape of the twenty-first century. It has been described by some of its proponents as the first coherent and comprehensive artistic movement of the 21st century, with its terms set out clearly in manifestos and executed in the work, and with a focus extending beyond poetry, painting, or fiction to all art forms and aspects of everyday life.
