How Oscar Wilde Sparked a Revolution | The Downfall of Decadence

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  • Опубліковано 10 гру 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 127

  • @toastedavalanche
    @toastedavalanche 8 місяців тому +303

    Thank you for this fun, engaging look at the work of Oscar Wilde. I'll never forget walking into my A-level English class 10 minutes late. My tutor asked "why are you always late?" and solemnly I replied: "punctuality is the thief of time". She adroitly responded: "How dare you quote Oscar Wilde and write such terrible essays!". Fair play.

  • @Heyu7her3
    @Heyu7her3 8 місяців тому +142

    My fave misquoted quote comes from Oscar Wilde: *_"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness."_*

  • @alexjames7144
    @alexjames7144 8 місяців тому +69

    I feel that Oscar would take personal offence to being called "style over substance" and write an essay about it insisting he wasn't offended at all but that it was also wrong on several levels.
    But then he was the most dramatic of gays so of course he would.

    • @thekajalflaneur
      @thekajalflaneur 8 місяців тому +5

      Hahaha if you think he is a hoot, read Quentin Crisp (kinda Wilde of the post WWII era)

  • @lilperidot8783
    @lilperidot8783 8 місяців тому +130

    Unbelievable that your doctoral literary insight is available to us book lovers free of charge. We can't thank you enough

    • @books_ncats
      @books_ncats  8 місяців тому +10

      Aw that's so kind, thank you! - Rosie

  • @girlgenius
    @girlgenius 8 місяців тому +53

    Misunderstanding the "lemons" in the saying to mean something good that you make better is such an endearingly sweet, positive mistake. I like your interpretation so much better than the generally accepted meaning that I think I'll just go with that from now on.

  • @theaverageglasses6197
    @theaverageglasses6197 8 місяців тому +65

    "It won't teach you how to be a mORallY uPstaNdiNg member of Victorian society! It's PURE, PERVERSE, PLEASURE!"
    ... is the essence of that "You don't have to sell it to me Harry" meme.

  • @wonderhollow3240
    @wonderhollow3240 8 місяців тому +44

    I firmly believe he was lying when he mocked consevative victorians by tainting the noble scene of art with his claim. I honestly believe he knew exactly he wasn't creating art or beauty just for the sake of it. He was protesting, just as you said, he was critiquing victorian society.

  • @skyllalafey
    @skyllalafey 8 місяців тому +97

    Perfect co-star you got there, since cats know all about self indulgence and anarchy! 😺😉

    • @books_ncats
      @books_ncats  8 місяців тому +18

      A truer word was never spoken.

  • @Sevenpuddingsx
    @Sevenpuddingsx 8 місяців тому +44

    "Beauty is a form of genius- is higher, indeed, than genius- as it needs no explanation"

  • @Frivolous_Cake
    @Frivolous_Cake 8 місяців тому +25

    My drama teacher once described The Importance of Being Earnest as 'a horror of manners' & that sold me on the play instantly.

  • @YAWSSSSSS
    @YAWSSSSSS 8 місяців тому +56

    I think the statement "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade" doesn't necessarily say that lemons are bad. More so that when life gives you something sour turn it into something sweet. I do agree though that the phrase kinda does make lemons sound bad lol.

  • @cinnasauria
    @cinnasauria 8 місяців тому +14

    I look up definitions of words I think I know all the time just to make sure I don't have the wrong idea, but I never thought to question "decadent" so I'm just now learning this here, that's so interesting. I paused to comment so I haven't heard your insight yet, but my immediate thought is that the whole association with indulgence might have something to do with the old idea that indulgence itself, and in sweet and pleasurable and exciting experiences, drains one's "vital energy." That's something you've mentioned before, and was even a large part of the infamous Kellogg's corn flakes origin story.
    Also, Mouse giving herself a little sprucing up... very cute. Truly decadent in the modern colloquial sense.

  • @Moeller750
    @Moeller750 8 місяців тому +11

    I personally subscribe to Esme Weatherwax's definition of decadence: having 10 teeth
    But in all earnesty, thank you, I love this video

  • @LaserLady
    @LaserLady 8 місяців тому +25

    Oh moral panic... It sure changes flavors throughout the years, yet leaves the same taste behind. I'm glad we are further along, but there is plenty of distance to cover. 😻Extra boop for Mouse!

  • @emilyemiranda
    @emilyemiranda 8 місяців тому +4

    admittedly, i am not well-versed in much literature or literary-adjacent subjects. i've always loved to read, english/language arts was always my best subject by a landslide, and i am so passionate about reading and literacy that i'm starting grad school this fall to become a public librarian. a lot of this type of content goes well above my head and it's not always easy to process what you're saying - which is NO fault of your own, that's on me - but i continue to watch, and love doing so, because your passion is contagious. your editing is entertaining and captivating. it is a delight. and at the end of the day, i do always learn something which is something to be grateful for. thank you!

  • @nicolegriff9430
    @nicolegriff9430 5 місяців тому +3

    Also, the lemons misunderstanding is such a lovely example of your infectuous optimism. ❤

  • @warcats-cat
    @warcats-cat 8 місяців тому +7

    My personal irony for the night - having this playing on my "favorite video essays" playlist, and hearing it start as I'm warming up a brownie to have with ice cream. I know that's not the point, but I find it very funny. I literally am watching the video cake-fork first 😂

    • @books_ncats
      @books_ncats  7 місяців тому +1

      Excellent! Hope it was a decadent dessert - Rosie

  • @efahall._.
    @efahall._. 8 місяців тому +12

    6:12 those cookies are available across Canada as PC brand Decadent cookies. They are a cheaply made store brand cookie that is truly garbage and if tricked into eating one I would immediately spit it out. They fall more on the side of decay than the sinfully indulgent side of decadence.

    • @cinnasauria
      @cinnasauria 8 місяців тому +1

      They're more specifically supposed to be store brand Chips Ahoy and I tend to like them better than what they're filling in for, but that's not saying much and I would rather get a completely different kind of cookie anyway.

    • @efahall._.
      @efahall._. 8 місяців тому +1

      @@cinnasauria you're right Chips Ahoy are also garbage but I would have a hard time saying that the PC one is better or worse. I'm with you, just pick another cookie and don't waste your time with these!

  • @Hydrocorax
    @Hydrocorax 8 місяців тому +9

    I'm old enough to remember being startled when Madison Avenue started trying to get us to put food into our mouths by calling it "decadent." In those days, perhaps the most common use of that word was to describe the later Roman Empire, and the common view of that era was a bunch of spoiled aristocrats sitting around drinking wine and gorging themselves on expensive delicacies. I always assumed (without any supportive evidence) that this was what led to the misunderstanding of what that "decadent" meant.

  • @hannahwithah7556
    @hannahwithah7556 8 місяців тому +6

    can I just say, the 3 minute introduction was flawless!

  • @ekk.hilgeman
    @ekk.hilgeman 8 місяців тому +4

    The antidote “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade”. In America we use the term “Lemon” as a bad or broken item. I’ve personally heard it used the most as an adjective to describe a rundown car. “That car is a lemon”. I’m not sure why exactly we treat the lemon as something bad lol I enjoy citrus fruits.

    • @books_ncats
      @books_ncats  8 місяців тому +1

      Ahh yeah I've heard lemon used like that, too. Interesting that it varies between countries - Rosie

  • @markthompson180
    @markthompson180 8 місяців тому +8

    "Morality" in that context = "social control & maintenance of the existing social-hierarchy" but only on a less overtly brutal and violent level than accomplished through Feudalism.

  • @straykoiYT
    @straykoiYT 8 місяців тому +13

    ANOTHER BANGER INCOMING

  • @Reapunzil
    @Reapunzil 8 місяців тому +12

    I love how I'm getting here before the vid and there's 14 of us already
    Edit- hey the 27 of us here for the premiere!

    • @honeyLXIX
      @honeyLXIX 8 місяців тому

      🙋‍♀😊

  • @JestheBookWyrm
    @JestheBookWyrm 8 місяців тому +9

    I love that you used Danse Macabre in this.

  • @Adeodatus100
    @Adeodatus100 8 місяців тому +11

    Excellent video, thank you. My favourite book on Wilde and the 19th century queer subculture is Neil Bartlett's "Who Was That Man?" - more polemic than history, but great fun. It highlights some of the points you make about Decadence as a vehicle for social critique, particularly of English bourgeois "morality". A well reviewed recent book, which is on my TBR list, is Chris Bryant's "James And John", which examines the case of the last two men hanged for sodomy in England.

    • @books_ncats
      @books_ncats  8 місяців тому +2

      Thanks for commenting, and for your recommendations, I haven't read them so will add them to the ever-growing reading list! - Rosie

  • @srig3649
    @srig3649 8 місяців тому +3

    Lmao the French be like-
    "Cookies so good it may just start ANOTHER revolution :D"

  • @MildredCady
    @MildredCady 8 місяців тому +4

    I took a course on decadence literature in college, and absolutely loved it.

    • @MildredCady
      @MildredCady 8 місяців тому +1

      My husband is a composer, and periodically, I was suggested a decadence movement poet when he’s asking about inspiration.

  • @BlazeTheFierce
    @BlazeTheFierce 8 місяців тому +2

    It was a big surprise for me when moving to France for my masters was that decadent is really just used with a negative moral connotation. As an American, I always just imagine luxury or some particularly good food haha. My French friends were surprised that it could be seen as a good word in English!

  • @naftalibendavid
    @naftalibendavid 8 місяців тому +6

    Ineffable. You are so good at this stuff! You make me love literature again. Thank you.

    • @books_ncats
      @books_ncats  8 місяців тому +1

      So pleased to hear it! Thank you - Rosie

  • @bazzfromthebackground3696
    @bazzfromthebackground3696 8 місяців тому +5

    I can't hear the "Life gives you lemons" without cracking up.
    My brain either goes to Cave Johnson(Portal) and his lemon rant, or the God Emperor of Mankind(40k) and his lemon rant! 😂

    • @amazinggrapes3045
      @amazinggrapes3045 8 місяців тому

      I think of that vine where the guy poors lemons out of a box of Life cereal and the Thomas the Tank Engine thrme plays

  • @paulagodebrito
    @paulagodebrito 8 місяців тому +6

    YES!! I WAS WAITING FOR THIS AAAAAAAA SO EXCITED LESGOOO oh my god your OUTFIT, THE SCENARIO, EVERYTHING, AMAZING

  • @natwilson9338
    @natwilson9338 3 місяці тому +1

    i couldn't help but think of john waters during this whole video. obviously his most 'decadent' works were in the medium of film, but i feel like he perfectly continued so much of the decadent tradition: perversion, intentional assault on sensibilities, questioning morality and decorum, hyperfocus on style and aesthetic. i think there's some really fascinating parallels there!

  • @teodorapetkovic
    @teodorapetkovic 8 місяців тому +2

    Excellent point! I shall make a decadent cake to enjoy this decadent discussion.

  • @thekajalflaneur
    @thekajalflaneur 8 місяців тому +6

    Realy appreciate your green carnation ❤

  • @GooeyGremlin
    @GooeyGremlin 8 місяців тому +5

    Oh I am definitely going to watch the film adaptation now.

  • @ellywhitcombe5007
    @ellywhitcombe5007 8 місяців тому +4

    Fantastic analysis, thoroughly enjoyed ✨

  • @beneath.the.rosesluciddrea8470
    @beneath.the.rosesluciddrea8470 8 місяців тому +4

    Stoked for thiiiis!!!!!

  • @mattz6874
    @mattz6874 5 місяців тому

    As a novice student in teaching English as a second language your videos help a great deal with bringing introspection and joy into my literature classes. I am so glad to have stumbled upon this channel and hope to watch many more of your videos. Mostly thanks to the the thoughtfull input of Dr. Mousy of course.

  • @iamverytired6322
    @iamverytired6322 8 місяців тому +1

    I love Wilde. Both as a historical figure and as a writer. His contradictions and wordplay are fascinating, and I was so happy when I noticed you'd published a video about him heheh

  • @jerrimenard3092
    @jerrimenard3092 8 місяців тому +3

    So Good! Thanks for this video.

  • @otakugril67
    @otakugril67 8 місяців тому +12

    Ah yes, Oscar Wilde, the reason I always say "Yo who cares, just do what feels good."

  • @Heyu7her3
    @Heyu7her3 8 місяців тому +3

    Lemons are sour, so make something sweet (lemonade). But decadent DEFINITELY threw me off lol.

  • @mizushirokanon9174
    @mizushirokanon9174 8 місяців тому +3

    I love your videos so much!

  • @amazinggrapes3045
    @amazinggrapes3045 8 місяців тому +1

    What I find most interesting about Oscar Wilde is the fact that, while he is a popular gay icon, he had a wife. In An Ideal Husband especially he seems to be lamenting the way women can put men on pedestals, imagining them to be flawless. Why can't they accept that those they love are imperfect?
    I heard his wife stayed out of it when he was put on trial and charged for homosexuality. I wonder if she knew.
    On top of that, there's the idea of living in a facade. In Lady Windermere's Fan people are portrayed as better off not knowing everything about each other. And then there's the fantasies everybody is caught up in in The Importance of Being Earnest.
    I think that you can see what someone is going through mentally from the stories they make and I just find him such an interesting case study.

    • @theoriginalsuzycat
      @theoriginalsuzycat 7 місяців тому

      She knew why he went to prison, yes. She made no contact with Bosie a condition of paying Oscar's allowance (she had the money in their marriage) after his release

  • @Charlotte66666
    @Charlotte66666 8 місяців тому +5

    Wonderful stuff ❤

  • @fedoraborealis5791
    @fedoraborealis5791 7 місяців тому +1

    I've been hungry for Oscar Wilde history content, so this video has arrived perfectly!
    I cant believe with such excellent editing and fabulous details that you dont have more views!
    You're bound to become more popular in the YT history community, i just know it! (And you deserve it!💅)
    Keep it up, you've got a new subscriber :D

    • @books_ncats
      @books_ncats  7 місяців тому

      Ahh thanks so much, that's lovely to hear. Glad to have satiated your Wilde hunger! - Rosie

  • @jean-lucleblanc5825
    @jean-lucleblanc5825 7 місяців тому +1

    Super well-timed! I just finished reading The Picture of Dorian Gray!
    Subscribed after your first few words lol I was already sold.

  • @lAcedUpLiss
    @lAcedUpLiss 3 місяці тому +1

    I can see how one might interpret decadence as luxury and self-indulgence. I always interpreted it as the decaying of ones morals in the pursuit of pleasure.

  • @googaasponcon
    @googaasponcon 8 місяців тому +3

    One of my favorite authors!!!!!! So excited for thiis one

  • @johannacagan3658
    @johannacagan3658 8 місяців тому +3

    I loved this celebration of Wilde!

  • @esme42069
    @esme42069 3 місяці тому

    6:00 i wasn’t expecting a video about oscar wilde to make me feel nostalgic about horrible cookies

    • @books_ncats
      @books_ncats  2 місяці тому

      Feeling nostalgic about horrible food, sourcing it, and reliving the disappointment is an important rite of passage - Rosie

  • @Soilfood365
    @Soilfood365 6 місяців тому

    Usually I like to listen to a whole video essay before I like. But I will engage early this time, because I have also committed to dying on the hill that lemons are peak citrus.

  • @silverish9081
    @silverish9081 8 місяців тому +1

    Just came across your channel and had to subscribe: loved how you delved into the topic just as much as the presentation itself. Oh, and the cat is just adorable!

    • @books_ncats
      @books_ncats  8 місяців тому +1

      Thanks so much! Pleased you enjoyed - Rosie

  • @22Too
    @22Too 5 місяців тому

    Wonderful! Thank you for sharing!

  • @sofiewauters7539
    @sofiewauters7539 8 місяців тому +3

    Thank you for your wonderful videos! Might you consider shining the light of your literary intellect on Ursula K. Le Guin? I am currently reading Space Crone ( Silver Press , 2023 ) and I think you might find her opinions an gender, feminism, and aging women, very interesting. Also, the fact she was open to criticism, and able to change her mind and point of view. Amazing.

    • @books_ncats
      @books_ncats  8 місяців тому +1

      YES, absolutely. I loved Space Crone so much! There may be a Le Guin video on the cards soon... - Rosie

    • @sofiewauters7539
      @sofiewauters7539 8 місяців тому

      @@books_ncatsAmazing!! Thank you.

  • @Snowfoxie1
    @Snowfoxie1 8 місяців тому +3

    It’s so funny looking back. I went to a super conservative, deep east Texas school in the mid 00s and our drama club performed The Importance of Being Earnest and it was a huge success. It was praised by the super conservative school district, aka the people who 100 years ago would have been horrified by it.

  • @jenford7078
    @jenford7078 8 місяців тому +1

    A wonderful topic and presentation today! I have always seen the word decadence as meaning self-indulgent and sinful beyond average, but hen what is average sin or indulgence?

  • @mazeemadaline3091
    @mazeemadaline3091 8 місяців тому +2

    Me and my sis love this channel. I come for the literature and she comes for the cats lmaooo

    • @books_ncats
      @books_ncats  7 місяців тому +1

      haha yay, glad there's something for everyone! - Rosie

  • @Dave-hp4vh
    @Dave-hp4vh 8 місяців тому +2

    Where have you been all my life... 10/10, this is great. Very decedent.

  • @c5ini
    @c5ini 8 місяців тому +1

    It is a joy listening to you, thank you. And I am very fond of OW, the revolutionary OW.

    • @books_ncats
      @books_ncats  7 місяців тому

      You're very welcome! Thanks for watching - Rosie

  • @Boggythefroggy
    @Boggythefroggy 8 місяців тому +1

    6:04 you can buy these all over Canada in Loblaws stores! They’re just called Decadent in English. I frickin love them lol, I’ve been eating them since I was a kid😂

  • @kristinmarra7005
    @kristinmarra7005 7 місяців тому +1

    I love your videos. Thank you ❤

    • @books_ncats
      @books_ncats  7 місяців тому

      You're very welcome :) - Rosie

  • @shenotski
    @shenotski 5 місяців тому

    If you burn all your foundations down you’ll have nothing but embers to keep you warm and not a thing to hold you up.

  • @allpau6199
    @allpau6199 8 місяців тому +1

    I remember reading and learning about the importance of being Ernest in high school and that it was incredibly silly and ridiculous. I don’t remember anything about the decadence movement at all. Though it has been 25 years since then.
    P.S. The decadence movement is exactly the type of lifestyle belief system I’ve been living without having a name for till now. So thank you 😊

  • @drytoasts
    @drytoasts 8 місяців тому +1

    Big fan of decadence/fin de siecle culture, but/and Nordau's Degeneration is one of the funniest reads I've ever encountered

  • @robertorezende6758
    @robertorezende6758 Місяць тому

    hi.. i'am brasilan. i loved your channel... ❤Oscar Wilde

  • @jen_is_not_ok
    @jen_is_not_ok 4 місяці тому

    As someone who prefers limes, I think the saying turns something bad into something bad

  • @NINacide
    @NINacide 8 місяців тому +1

    Hmm, a utilitarian is a crowd pleaser. They get their social status from the esteem of others. This is a different option. Its like symbiot vs parasite

  • @laxmisarma6222
    @laxmisarma6222 3 місяці тому

    This is brilliant!

  • @Paul90173
    @Paul90173 5 місяців тому +1

    He was put on trial for simpley being himself in an uptight victorian society

  • @Frank_42
    @Frank_42 5 місяців тому +1

    Sometimes when you get rid of things that are there for a reason everything does fall apart and things get worse. Decadence is killing people to this day but that is most likely intentional.

  • @antun88
    @antun88 26 днів тому

    Just reading a book about Gabriele D'Annunzio, another important member of the movement. It seems that, what started as a playful rejection of morality, eventually led to something much more sinister. At least in his case, since he eventually became a "grandfather of fcism". As the author says, they replaced beauty with morality. If death, suffering, tragedy, indifference was full of artistic beauty and inspiration, it cannot be evil. I guess we found the hard way they were wrong. It's no wonder Huymans returned to catholicism in his later life.

  • @donglenphillip8887
    @donglenphillip8887 3 місяці тому

    The coat, the long hair, the fur coat, green flower- very close to Wilde's appearance.

  • @jackiec860
    @jackiec860 8 місяців тому +5

    i would love if you talked about more queer literature, if that is something you are also interested in of course!

    • @books_ncats
      @books_ncats  8 місяців тому +1

      Yes, I am v interested and plan to write on more queer writers in the future! - Rosie

    • @jackiec860
      @jackiec860 8 місяців тому

      @@books_ncats yay! thank you, i am excited to hear that and i’ll look forward to whenever you get around to it!!! 💗

  • @EosFunk
    @EosFunk 8 місяців тому +1

    This reeeallly puts Dorian Gray into perspective 😮

  • @GhostPurple69
    @GhostPurple69 2 місяці тому

    it's also worth considering that at the time of writing, "earnest" was a common euphemism for homosexual. so there are several intentions with this title.

  • @nicolegriff9430
    @nicolegriff9430 5 місяців тому

    Ah, those cookies are amazing. They're actually available across all of Canada in Loblaws (boo) owned stores, so I suspect the name is meant to be taken in the English sense. Still rather funny, if expected, that it's also used in Quebec.

  • @13laylam
    @13laylam 8 місяців тому +2

    i love this

  • @haydendavidchan
    @haydendavidchan 2 місяці тому

    THOSE COOKIES ARE DELICIOUS and they’re sold everywhere in Canada! And all of Quebec is French speaking! By law!

    • @books_ncats
      @books_ncats  Місяць тому

      haha I've heard mixed things about those cookies! Must try them for myself - Rosie

  • @maryroberts9315
    @maryroberts9315 8 місяців тому +1

    Wilde doesn't seem shocking these days. "A Rebours" and "Le Bas" are still quite disturbing. I think the first decadent writer was the Marquis de Sade. He went to prison for his writing.

    • @NicolasJimenezBarea
      @NicolasJimenezBarea Місяць тому

      120 days is quite fucked up tbh, Passolinni kenw that damn well.

  • @jimsbooksreadingandstuff
    @jimsbooksreadingandstuff Місяць тому

    Happy birthday Oscar Wilde (16 October)

  • @awolpeace1781
    @awolpeace1781 3 місяці тому

    Just be a political anarchist against the imposed upon us cultural system to level the playing field, not a moral anarchist whose only agenda is societal degradation.

    • @Ariel_is_a_dreamer
      @Ariel_is_a_dreamer 13 днів тому

      ...
      Dare I suggest both? >:3

    • @awolpeace1781
      @awolpeace1781 13 днів тому

      @Ariel_is_a_dreamer why not just wear a shirt that says "piece of sh** who only cares about my own identity" while your at it?

  • @bigbiggoblin2873
    @bigbiggoblin2873 8 місяців тому +2

    Noice

  • @VedicAssam
    @VedicAssam 5 місяців тому

  • @TheDraculaPapers
    @TheDraculaPapers 8 місяців тому +3

    Great insights in Oscar Wilde!!!! I like your cake!!!!!!! 🥮

  • @lovelyshirlt2766
    @lovelyshirlt2766 8 місяців тому +3

    I'll be waiting impatiently 🫣

  • @SticksForChicks
    @SticksForChicks 5 місяців тому

    Oscar Wilde persecution was a result of racism as well as homophobia. Being unapologetically Irish in England at that time might have been the less forgivable of his sins.