dandy « WordPress.com Tag Feed

How Sophie gets her way

tapsalteerie — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 21:45:31 +0000

Sophie has been on this HUGE kick about what she wants for Christmas, which has probably been brought on by the sudden onslaught of super-cool toy catalogs that have arrived recently. Seriously, FAO-Schwartz should totally be banned at our house since Dandy is all but sleeping with the catalog!

Anyway... Sophie and I were shopping some weeks ago and had swung (swung?) into BJs to pick up yogurt and butter (did y'all know they were closing the BJs in G'ville? I'm so not happy) and had waltzed through the toy aisle just to see what was already out.

Sophie immediately took a shine to the WowWee Alive White Tiger Cub. It was $45ish which I thought was pricey until I researched them and discovered that $45ish is better than $60ish!

Anyway... Sophie was able to walk away from it without a meltdown (YEAH!!) but has not forgotten it at all. We'd looked at it online, even watched the video so that she understood that it was not a truly ALIVE tiger, it was simply a robotic TOY... which she was already aware of (the eye roll for that explanation was priceless!). She has been doing some minor wheedling and suggesting (she's so her mother's daughter!) just to keep the idea current in EVERYONE'S mind, but today she tried a different tactic.

She wrote to Santa.

Seriously, she wrote the whole letter by herself* only asking me how to spell the words occasionally. Then she asked me to find Santa's address** and help her address the letter. So I did.

We've never made a big deal out of Santa. We didn't start Sophie out with asking Santa for her Christmas presents... matter of fact, she's never been to see Santa, although she's met him a time or two on the Polar Express train ride and once when he fell asleep in our foyer.

It's almost as if she's gotten frustrated with our lack of action concerning her preferred gift and has pulled out the big guns on us! Like she's thinking: I didn't want to take this to the top but you're forcing my hand!

So it looks like I'll be hoofing it over to BJs sometime before they close to pick up her Tiger Cub, and on the plus side it may be on sale.

I love that kid....

Now if I could just convince Dandy that he doesn't really need a FULL-SIZED pirate ship! Arrrr!

*For those of you who don't know "about" Sophie, writing has never been easy for her and is something we've struggled with since she started school. For her to initiate anything handwritten is amazing! I think all those sessions with the quills and dip-ink pens is starting to pay off!!

**For those curious:

Santa Claus
1 Candy Cane Lane
North Pole, Earth 12345

And there's also this site that actually writes back.

Madras Pants in Winter

Ryan Oakley — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 07:15:30 +0000

One must be very careful of rules. You can easily become a slave to them. Knowing when to obey is just as important as knowing when to break. And one should, occasionally, break the rules just to remember that there are no real rules. Like religion, these things are mainly guideposts for the masses.

The rule I am breaking in that photo is not the seasonal one. Madras pants are summer pants but I couldn't give a shit about that. What do the seasons have to do with me? It is, rather, a personal one.

I do my best to remain unswayed by fashion. I don't act in favor of it, I don't act against it. I don't follow nor do I rebel, I simply go my own way, wear what I please and what pleases me. I make my own money and pay my own bills. It's no one's business what I do with my money, my person or my time.

Having said all that, a couple of things have conspired to create a mild stirring of rebellion in me. One is the show "Madmen" which I have only seen half of one episode of while vacationing in Huntsville. For those of you who, like me, have not seen it, the show has a strong sense of early sixties style.

It's a bit somber.

I've been fielding quite a few questions about this show and quite a few comparisons to it. This is fine. Suits often inspire this sort of thing. I've endured every trend from mod to Sickboy to American Psycho and so forth and so on. It stopped bothering me ages ago.

But this interest in early 60s style has been occurred at the same time as the bleak Toronto autumn and the collapse of the financial markets. Somber is in the air.

Should one have the misfortune to walk down Queen West and should they fail to avert their eyes from the boutiques, they will notice that the vast majority of dresses are black, the suits sedate and the once cheerful shops now seem like they're dressing for a funeral. Perhaps they are. Their own.

Yet, for a fellow like me, the collapse of revered financial institutions is not a cause for morning but one for celebration. When America, against all sense, morality and law, first invaded Iraq I found myself -always pro-American until that point-- wishing that their empire would die there. That this war would eat and destroy their country. I wanted and still want to see them lose.

In the course of my life -- in the past five years even -- America has changed, in my mind, from an occasionally mistaken but well-intentioned force for freedom to an evil tyranny that kills brown people for no reason, advocates torture, has concentration camps, outsources slavery and is poised to become the single most dangerous nation on this planet; not only to other nations but to its own people.

And I'm supposed to mourn that it's running out of money?

Well, I don't.

Their banks have collapsed, their credit system going, going, gone, they can't afford the gas for their SUVs and they certainly cannot finance any more wars of terror and imperialism. They've broken their face smashing it against the walls of greed and stupidity. Good. I want to see more of that.

I want to watch it culminate in the burning of the White House by the American people. They're a good people. They deserve better than what they're getting. We all do.

Other people may want to dress for a funeral but not me. I want bright colors. I'm dressing for a party. The good guys are winning. And that calls for Madras pants. No matter what season it is.

How to Be Bulletproof and Formal

Ryan Oakley — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 21:10:49 +0000

pic nicked from here

We've all been there. You'd like nothing more than to attend tonight's opera but, sadly, armed gangs are roaming the streets and want to shoot you. Aside from the damage bullets inflict upon your tuxedo, you may also bleed all over the thing. And those stains are a real bitch to remove.

So, knowing that a flak jacket would earn you the disdain of your fellow opera-goers, you decide to stay home, smoke some hashish and drink yourself into a pleasant stupor in the boisterous company of a few local prostitutes.

Like I said: we've all been there.

Luckily, Miguel Caballero, a boutique located in the dystopian heart of Mexico City, has finally solved this age old dilemma. They sell lightweight bulletproof clothing.

While some of these outfits tend towards the casual, there is a tuxedo for the intrepid opera attendee. Each of the sales staff, as part of their training, is shot while wearing one of the outfits. This dedication to their work allows you to face the opera with confidence.

But not so fast.

While it is quite nice to be impervious to a hail of gunfire, you will not be impervious from the equally dangerous judgment of your peers. You must, as always, consider your accessories.

Since people are trying to kill you, you have probably made the sensible decision to start smoking. Aside from helping you enjoyably pass the time in dark rooms, acting as jailhouse currency and easing your frayed nerves, it's also a good-looking habit.

Besides, if you are shot, you can make a pithy remark along the lines of: "I told the doctor the cigarettes wouldn't kill me." (Assuming, of course, that your lungs are not full of blood and you have not been shot in the mouth or throat.) The cigarette is a wonderful accessory for this suit but, to perfectly compliment it, you should purchase and use the smoking gun cigarette holder.

As always, the integrity of the clothing reflects well upon the integrity of the man.

So, having seen to your tuxedo and accessories, you are probably wondering -- How can I return fire in style? Pistols add an unpleasant bulge to any well-fitted suit and rifles are simply out of the question at many of the better opera houses. You have bodyguards but, God knows, one does not want to remain their oafish company all night. They tend to talk a great deal about sports and pussy.

The answer is surprisingly simple. The SwissMiniGun.

This cheerful little device packs enough punch to kill a man and can be used as a key or watch fob. Furthermore, there are bespoke offerings so you can bedazzle it, perhaps having it inlaid with gems that match your date's dress or eyes. It is not a complete security solution but it should guarantee that you can take one of your assailants to hell with you. Sometimes that's enough.

So leave the hashish, brandy and whores at home. You're now ready to enjoy your opera in safety and style.

Dandy Dandinant

arrachecoeur — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:00:03 +0000

Il était une fois un dindon.

Pas n'importe quel dindon, sinon l'histoire ne serait point intéressante. LE dindon. Le Dindon. Il se nommait Dandy Dandinant et il était le plus joli dindon de tous les dindons.

Dandy était un dindon très différent des autres dindons. Premièrement, il déclencha la première révolution des dindons. En effet, cette révolution était incroyable : les dindons auraient le droit de manger des sandwiches à la dinde!

Lorsque Dandy Dandinant réalisa que manger des sandwiches à la dinde était peu faire pour une révolution, il décida de changer de formule. Ayant plus d'un tour dans le scrotum qui lui pendait au visage, il tenta de changer le monde en devenant une star du tango.

Voyant ses tristes efforts s'essoufler en vain, il cracha la rose épineuse de son bec ridicule et pensa à une autre stratégie pour faire de notre planète, une planète meilleure, où l'envirronement serait sain pour tous les confrères et les connesoeurs de Dandy. Son désir le plus fort était de refaire le lien avec la nature. Pour ce faire, Dandy décida de devenir chanteur country.

Quand son public tenta de le transformer en nourriture de boeuf à coup de carabine rouillée, Dandy changea d'idée. Il trouva soudainement que le monde était trop violent. Il précaunisait une révolution plus pacifique. Afin de méditer là-dessus, Dandy fuma plusieurs joints et devint rasta.

Se shakant le popotin comme seul un dindon se nommant Dandy Dandinant pouvait le faire, il était presque heureux. Presque. Bien sûr, il lui manquait quelquechose dans la vie. Ses multiples révolutions ratées lui firent comprendre que s'il voulait changer le monde, c'est parce qu'il lui manquait l'amour féroce d'une dindonne. Sans cette dindonne, Dandy ne serait jamais heureux. Il chercha des nuits et des nuits dans les bars les plus dingues de sa région (Pohénégamook). Il migra vers de terres inconnues (Pohénégamook-Sud) afin de trouver la perle rare, le rubis parmi la garnotte, la marguerite parmi les pissenlits, LA dindonne qui pourrait satisfaire les pulsions violentes de révolution de Dandy.

Après plusieurs années de recherche, Dandy pensa à sa mère qui disait : On n'est jamais mieux satisfait que par soi-même glouglouglouglouglou. Alors, Dandy, ce cher Dandy, décida...

de devenir travesti.

Dandy, je t'aime.

(Tous les dessins sont de Pascal Clément, merci!)

Muffin Tin Monday

tapsalteerie — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:33:25 +0000

Since we had a fairly big lunch we decided to do mtm for supper.
We had:
tandoori spice chicken tenders with sweet and sour dipping sauce
corn niblets (from our own corn!)
rice
apples with cranberries
and paratha bread.
Another big hit for Dandy!!

Craft store madness!!

tapsalteerie — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 14:29:52 +0000

Yesterday M and I took Sophie to the local Hobby Lobby (my least favorite craft store btw, but since it's 20 miles closer than the nearest AC Moore or Michaels and a good 2 hours from Binders, it's the best I can do with the current gas crisis in our area).

I went to buy some orange craft paint. That's it! Orange craft paint. I left with 2 (or 3, I can't remember) different colors of orange paint, some black paint, a plaster of paris mask kit (for Sophie), pirate rubber stamps (for Dandy), a pirate wooden paint-it-yourself thing, a couple stencils, a bunch of halloween cookie cutters (because we have to keep our record of the most cookie cutters in a non-commercial kitchen, you understand!) and then the loot we gleaned from the clearance aisle.

Seriously.

My orange paint ended up costing somewhere close to $100. Mind you I did get craft projects/supplies for the kids' school projects (we do lots of craft projects!) so it wasn't at all frivolous. And I did get my orange paint so that I could finish our October calendar banner (which is turning out great, pics coming soon).

I'm glad to report that Sophie actually handled the craft store very well. No real meltdowns, and although she did wander off, she did respond when called. YEAH for Sophie such great improvement!! Her only frustration was after we got home. She didn't understand that she would have to wait many, many hours for the mask to set before she could paint it (we had tried to explain in the store, but she wasn't getting it, sometimes she has to learn "the hard way"). What she doesn't know is that we totally screwed up the plaster the first time and after she went to bed we threw that away and redid the whole thing. The bad thing is that she's going to be mad this morning as the mask is supposed to dry for an additional 6 hours out of the mold. Hopefully she won't think about it right off the bat this morning (so far, so good!).

Xander and Beckett have had a blast with their stamps. We made a lunch bag for Poppy last night. It was entirely too cute!

the front of the bag... Arrr!

the back of the bag

They had little pump bottles of paint on the clearance aisle for $0.60 which we used to make the spritzy paint effect. Pretty cool :) Plus Jim really liked it.

My next update will have the calendar banner, hopefully later today!

The way of the Dandy

dandylien — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 01:06:18 +0000

According to the definition given by Wikipedia, a dandy is a man who accentuates his appearance, mannerism and hobbies. To the extent, it becomes a fervent belief to cultivate beauty in his personality, remain well-informed and knowledgeable and passionately search for satisfaction in life.

Independence, confidence, immaculately dressed, dignity, wit, etc etc. A dandy is the epitome of all these characteristics and it seems almost impossible that anyone can be so perfect is all aspects

Although the dandy lifestyle used to be reserved only for man, I don't see why it should remain that way in these times, with the equalization of both genders and feminism coming into play. It seems like just the perfect lifestyle and I'm still going to work towards that any way!

Learning dandyism,
Linzi

Tenue du jour : Victor-Victoria!

lilysatine — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 22:04:01 +0000

Un petit post rapide pour cette tenue que j'aime énormément! La reprise des cours et quelques soucis me font un peu négliger ce blog malheureusement.

Le tout Zara, sauf la ceinture obi Camaïeu et le chapeau vintage - que je soupçonne clairement d'être un "fait-maison"! Avec sa structure très molle, car le feutre n'est apparemment pas amidonné comme cela devrait être le cas, et des coutures très apparentes. Mais cela fait toute sa personnalité, sa petite histoire et son charme :)

Salemi, un puntino sulla carta geografica

diarioelettorale — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 18:37:05 +0000

Al fine di consentirvi di arricchire la vostra conoscenza del fenomeno, Salemi, Sgarbi, Giammarinaro, vi segnalo per la penna di Walter Molino, (corrispondente "Da un puntino sulla carta geografica"), e le immagini di Laura Ferro, un'inchiesta sul mensile Diario di cui occupa le pagine dalla 14 alla 20 e dal titolo "SALEMI, IL DANDY E IL SUO PADRONE - Storia di Pino Giammarinaro, l'uomo che ha scelto Vittorio Sgarbi" che Marsala.it si è preso cura di scannerizzare e di fornirvi in PDF.

Si attendono commenti.

Luca Clerici: Il viaggiatore meravigliato

massimiliano — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:28:26 +0000

Italiani in Italia (1714-1996)

The Decadent Generation

Sabrina — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 23:08:40 +0000

The Decadent generation refers to a group of writers from the second half of the 19th century who initiated the Symbolist movement in literature and the arts. This group was loosely tied but shared a similar spirit and philosophy that combined pessimism, elitism, idealism and dandyism. Although Symbolist writers were found all around Europe, France and Belgium soon became their meeting spots.

The decadent spirit was marked by pessimism and mysticism, and the development of elitist groups often lead by a generation ofdandies. The Decadents, whether writers and painters (the boundary was often erased), all made Art a religion, with the birth of the famous theory "Art for Art's Sake." An Idealistic spirit, Decadence rejected and fought against the Naturalism of Emile Zola and Gustave Courbet, and the philosophical concept of Positivism.

Baudelaire, the initiator

French poet Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867) is unanimously considered the initiator of the decadent spirit; his influence on the following decadent generations was undeniable. His style ranked him among the Romantics although the suggestive power of his verses already announced Symbolism. His masterpiece, The Flowers of Evil(1857) is part of the decadent spirit for it approaches the themes of death, religion, pessimism and suggestive eroticism. Its publication was a scandal at the time, and Baudelaire was even sued for immorality. In fact, The Flowers of Evil reflect the hesitation of the author to choose between God and Satan, and his profound malaise; Baudelaire turns pain into pleasure and, from an Existential point, uses this pain to become aware of his existence and solitude.

Baudelaire's admiration for American writer Edgar Allan Poe (another powerful model for the Decadents) also reveals his connections with the group; Baudelaire even translated Poe's Tales into French. In fact, one could sustain that Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) was a decadent himself, even if he was never officially part of the group for geographical reasons. In spirit, however, Poe shared a lot with his European fellow writers; tormented and brilliant, Poe expressed his genius in various genres such as literary critiques, poems, novels and, of course, his famous Tales (1840). An alcoholic, his turbulent life brutally ended in 1849, at the raw beginning of the European symbolist era.

Philosophical and social context

The Decadents found their inspiration not only in Baudelaire's work but also in philosophy. The first philosopher to influence them was German Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), who elaborated the philosophical concept of Pessimism. Schopenhauer attributed man's unhappiness and unsatisfaction to their will and proposed to abandon one's desires to find happiness in the contemplation of aesthetics and arts. The valorization of art and creativity was also found in the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), who saw in artistic creativity the ultimate goal of each individual and the only activity that truly allows them to create their own standards.

Pessimism and the protest against the idea of progress are concepts that found an echo in the Decadent philosophy, which rejected the freshly industrialized society. Disappointed with the world around them, the Decadents made art the ultimate goal of one's achievement and existence, and dreams became their shelter. The Decadents refused reality and the society surrounding them, and set their priority on imagination, following their Platonic Theory of Ideas which saw in real, existing things a mere inferior copy of the perfect (but intangible) ideal. Idealistic and, paradoxically, disillusioned, the Decadents refused the mediocrity around them to recreate, through art, their very own world. As such, they rejected the concept of Positivism (developed by Auguste Comte), which was particularly popular at the time and which discredited the importance of dreams to concentrate on Rationalism and the faith in the evolution of man.

French writer Théophile Gautier (1811-1872), a friend of Baudelaire's (The Flowers of Evil was dedicated to him), was one of the first authors to defend the motto "Art for Art's Sake" in the foreword of his first novel, Mademoiselle de Maupin (1835). Gautier further developed this theory in his poetic masterpiece Emaux et Camées(1852).

The influence of Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly (1808-1889) was also undeniable. Throughout the 19th century, the French writer published novels (Le Chevalier des Touches, 1864), short stories (Les Diaboliques, 1874), and literary studies that were part of the decadent trend. A Catholic aristocrat, Barbey d'Aurevilly was also a polemicist and a dandy fascinated with the strange and the satanic.

Traditionally, two generations of writers actually formed the decadent era, the first one gathering authors born around the 1840s. The eldest of them was Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam (1838-1889), a French count and writer who despised progress, sciences and money. A ruined aristocrat, Villiers de l'Isle-Adam exerted a powerful influence on the young writers of his time period. Idealistic and ferociously ironic, his work (Axël, L'Eve Future) revealed his interest in esoterism, and his mysticism already announced Symbolism. Villiers de l'Isle-Adam was friends with Stéphane Mallarmé (1842-1898). His first poems, highly influenced by Baudelaire, already related to the decadent spirit for they escaped reality to find a shelter in the ideal world of Art. Mallarmé has been one of the most influential writers in the evolution of literature. First an English teacher, Mallarmé wrote in 1897 one of his most powerful works, Un Coup de Dés, a twenty page long prose poem the topography of which was considered revolutionary.

Baudelaire also greatly influenced poet Paul Verlaine (1844-1896), a member of the Parnasse - the group that officially gathered the poets who rejected Romanticism and adopted the theory of "Art for Art's Sake." Verlaine's most famous work remains Poèmes Saturniens(1866) and in 1883, he published Les Poètes Maudits, where the talent of Mallarmé and Rimbaud was revealed. Verlaine rejected the use of free verse to create instead his own versification that would obey his own precise standards. After being named the new "prince of the poets" in 1894, he finished his life in poverty.

The fourth major figure of the first decadent generation was Joris-Karl Huysmans (1848-1907), who turned to the decadent ideal in 1884 with the famous A Rebours (known in English as Against the Grain orAgainst Nature). A reference for his fellow writers, Huysmans tells inA Rebours the story of Des Esseintes - a character based on existing Comte Robert de Montesquiou (1855-1921) - a dandy who voluntarily secluded himself to escape reality and live an artificial life that combined illusion, sadism, neurosis and elitism. Later on, Huysmans converted to Catholicism, like many other Decadents.

The second decadent generation, very influenced by its predecessor, started with authors born in the 1850s. Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891) was part of this generation. The lover of Paul Verlaine, Rimbaud wanted to translate the unsconscious vacillation of mental life in his poems. The author of Une Saison en Enfer (1873) and Illuminations(1886), he also wrote a famous sonnet, Voyelles, in which he freed words from their meaning to use them in a strict combination based on structure and sonority.

In Belgium, poet Emil Verhaeren (1855-1916), a reader of Nietzsche, studied law before co-founding the publication L'Art Moderne. Verhaeren published works such as Les Moines (1886), Les Soirs(1887), Les Débâcles (1888) and Les Flambeaux Noirs (1891), where he combined Symbolism and mysticism. He was also an art critic, defending Symbolist painters such as Khnopff and Ensor. Maurice Maeterlinck (1862-1949), another Belgian poet installed in France, contributed to the movement with many poems (Serres Chaudes, 1889), several philosophical essays and eight plays (among themPelléas et Mélisande, for which Claude Debussy composed a musical piece). His work was marked by existential pessimism and mystery, and Maeterlinck received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1911.

Belgium was also represented by poet and novelist Georges Rodenbach (1855-1898), as well as Charles van Lerberghe (1861-1907) and Max Elskamp (1862-1931). In France, Jean Lorrain (1855-1906) wrote in 1900 Monsieur de Phocas, a novel particularly pernicious and faithful to the decadent spirit. French-Greek poet Jean Moréas (1856-1910) officially announced the birth of Symbolism with the publication of a manifesto in French newspaper Le Figaro, in 1886.

Outside of France and Belgium, Polish painter and playwright Stanislaw Wyspianski (1869-1907) and Norwegian Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) also contributed to the literary Symbolist movement.

Oscar Wilde, a Decadent Genius

One cannot approach the decadent generation without mentioning Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), the most representative author of the tendency and theoretician of "Art for Art's Sake." Wilde was a decadent for his amoralism, his dandy attitude and even for his final downfall - let's not forget that the word decadence comes from Latincadere, to fall. An aesthete, pushing his mannerism to the limits of caricature, Oscar Wilde played with ambiguity, denouncing the hypocrisy and elitism of the upper society, which he took pleasure in frequenting. In his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), Wilde sharpened his pen to express his disillusion with and sarcastic vision of the aristocracy. Later, Wilde published Salomé, a play he originally wrote in French and which retells one of the Decadents' favourite subjects. First celebrated by the aristocracy, Oscar Wilde lost its support by trifling with extremes and provocations, and by openly displaying his bisexuality. Abandoned by his lover, Bosie Douglas, Wilde was sent to jail in 1895 for libel and died, sick and lonely in Paris five years later.

The Supporters of Decadence

The Decadents found much support in the many - even if often ephemeral - publications that flourished with the birth of Symbolism, especially in Paris, cradle of the movement where so many artists from around Europe gathered. Those publications offered many benefits: they helped discover young talents and promote unrecognized poets such as Rimbaud, and published manifestos as well as translations of foreign texts. Some of the most famous publications were La Revue Wagnérienne (1885-1888), which concentrated on the different aspects of Richard Wagner's work,Mercure de France (1889), which published translations of Nietzsche's works, Le Décadent and La Revue Blanche (1889-1903), an anarchist publication that received the contributions of Mallarmé, André Gide, Marcel Proust and Claude Debussy.

Georges-Albert Aurier (1865-1892) was one of the greatest supporters of Decadence and the Symbolist movement. After collaborating with Le Décadent, he was at the head of Le Moderniste(1889) and co-founded Mercure de France, for which he became the art critic.

In Belgium, we can note the publication of L'Art Moderne. In Austria,Ver Sacrum (1898-1903) supported the Wiener Sezession. In Russia, a group of young artists lead by Sergei Diaghilev (the creator of theBallets Russes) founded in 1899 Mir Iskusstva (World of Art), while some translations of Verhaeren and Verlaine where published in Vesy(Libra, 1904-1909).

After having published novels (La Décadence Latine), plays and art critics, Joseph Péladan (1859-1918) founded, in 1892, the Salons de la Rose+Croix. An eccentric character, Péladan (also known as Sâr Péladan) was initiated into esoteric doctrines and oriental religions, and he turned his Salons into a "temple dedicated to the god Art," where the artworks were dogmas and the artists were saints. Symbolist artists such as Hodler, Schwabe, Toorop and Khnopff exhibited their work there, and it is important to note that all participants were rigorously selected, depending on the subject of their work (historical, patriotic and military subjects were rejected while mythological, oneiric and allegoric subjects were welcome). In spite of a successful inauguration, the Salons stopped after six annual exhibitions, in 1897.

Last, Félix Fénéon (1861-1944), a French art and literary critic, defended the Symbolists and the Pointillists. He founded, in 1883, the publication La Revue Indépendante.

Decadent Lifestyle and Themes

Not all Decadents shared the same lifestyle, but they shared (including with Symbolist artists) similar themes that were all part of the same universe. The Decadents were ferociously anti-Naturalism (the other important tendency of the time period) and rejected authors such as Emile Zola and painters such as Gustave Courbet. They attached more importance to suggestive power and dreams than realistic depictions of the surrounding world. Baudelaire and Huysmans both re-used Poe's expression "Anywhere out of the world," which perfectly described their spirit and their rejection of the world around them.

The Decadents had no interest for the real world and for the industrialization of society, which they considered pointless and the cause of man's unhappiness. Arts and dreams, on the other hand, were their unique sources of inspiration and, in the end, their lives. They loathed materialism and positivism, prefering instead the rejection of established norms, as well as the concept of Idealism and anarchy (or apolitism). While the present and the future were sources of pessimism, the Decadents exalted the past, thus explaining the many legendary and mythological subjects of their works. The freshly-born psychoanalysis also inspired the Decadents who gave a lot into introspection and the exploration of unconsciousness.

The Decadents' lifestyle often implied seclusion and the creation of clubs and brotherhoods, such as the one founded by the Pre-Raphaelites. While not all Decadents were dandies, they all shared the same feeling of belonging to an elite and they often spent time together. Pushing this feeling of elitism to an extreme, the dandies took great care of their appearance and manners. Aesthetes, they wanted to be distinguished from the rest of society and made art sacred.

The Decadents also refused the hypocritical, pseudo-virtuous society of the 19th century and played a lot with ambiguity and androgyny. The use of drugs, such as opium and hashish, was also common among the Decadents, like Baudelaire (who wrote in 1851 Les Paradis Artificiels). Questioning religious issues, the Decadents were particularly fascinated with mysticism and esoterism, as well as Satanism, even if, paradoxically, many of them converted to Catholicism and attached a lot of importance to religion.

The subjects of decadent work often reflect this lifestyle, combining themes such as death, existential malaise, sadism, fetishism and eroticism, without always avoiding a certain bad taste. The Decadents united beauty, death and pleasure altogether, thus revealing their ambiguity; some poems by Baudelaire, for instance, even revealed a certain necrophilia. This morbid eroticism combined with a search for refinement was also very typical of the Symbolists painters. This ambiguity, sometimes symbolized by the representation of a sphinx, was also found in the image of woman. The mysogyny of Schopenhauer influenced the Decadents and the Symbolists, who often depicted women as vampires, prostitutes and witches (see the works of painters Edvard Munch and Félicien Rops, for instance). Many Decadents were fascinated by the Biblical figures of Judith and Salomé, two women whose seductiveness led to the deaths of men. On the other hand, for certain artists, women became a mystical figure. The concept of love also needed to be "re-invented" (as Arthur Rimbaud advocated), and it could also take different paths. While some artists (such as Mallarmé) defended love as a pure sensual delight, other artists prefered to experience love through their imagination and defended chastity. The myth of Orpheus was also particularly influential to the Decadents, as well as the principles of Orphism. Orphism was a theological and philosophical trend from the Greek Antiquity, the doctrines of which questioned the origins of the world and its end. It also believed in the immortality of the soul and in reincarnation, and involved mystical rituals. All these reflections and themes very much appealed to the Decadents and enriched their own philosophy. Last, the night was also an important source of inspiration for its mystery and anguish, as well as its suggestive power.

Beyond the themes, the structure of literary compositions itself refused any established convention. The writing style of the Decadents was often very affected, relying on the use of rare words, complicated syntaxes, neologisms and complex metaphors. In poetry, French writer Gustave Kahn (1859-1936) was the theoritician of free verse (he wrote Vers Libre in 1912) and one of the first poets to use it, along with Symbolist poet Jules Laforgue (1860-1887). The trend, which rejected the traditional syllabic system to rely exclusively on harmony, was soon followed by Verlaine, Rimbaud, Baudelaire and Mallarmé. In theater, the suggestive power of a play was found to be more intense when read than performed, leading to a new and revolutionary conception of drama.

Art for Art's Sake

The Decadents had their motto: "Art for Art's Sake" (L'Art pour l'Art). Behind the famous expression lied the intense desire of making art an end in itself and justifying the role of the artist. More than a simple creed, "Art for Art's Sake" defined the decadent philosophy and approached Existential issues. In the foreword of his novelMademoiselle de Maupin, Théophile Gautier did not deny the uselessness of art, but also questioned the usefulness of all things. What is usefulness? Is existence itself useful? Gautier believed that usefulness was always relative to each individual's interests and needs. He also believed in the divine will that gave us all senses with which to experience the beauty of the world surrounding us, while beauty itself could be considered useless. Like many other Decadents, Théophile Gautier rejected usefulness as a measurement of the value of art and its right to exist. Interestingly enough, he also proved the utility of novels from a material and a spiritual point of view. First, from a material point of view, the publication of a novel brings money to its author, the publisher, the book seller, the printer, etc. Secondly, from a spiritual point of view, Gautier argued that reading a novel, in effect, distracted the reader away from useful, virtuous and progressive newspapers, and educated them.

In the same spirit, Oscar Wilde explained, in the foreword of his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, that art's only utility was its contemplation and its ultimate goal to reveal art and conceal the artist. He also concluded: "All art is quite useless."

Decadence and Symbolism

Decadence had many connections with Symbolism, a movement it initiated and merged with. While Symbolism in literature preceded Symbolism in visual arts, the Decadents worked with passion towards a complete unity between art forms. This ideal interaction was already present in the work of composer Richard Wagner. Thus, many painters illustrated literary works or used their subjects as a source of inspiration (such as Félicien Rops, who illustrated works by Mallarmé, Verlaine and Villiers de l'Isle-Adam), and writers often refered to Symbolist paintings in their literary works. Symbolist painters such as Paul Gauguin and James Ensor painted portraits of authors such as Mallarmé and Verhaeren.

Symbolist painters and writers also had connections with musicians such as French Erik Satie (1866-1925), Finnish Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) and particularly French Claude Debussy (1862-1918). Debussy was close to the Symbolists and had many friends among the Decadents, such as Mallarmé. He composed musical pieces for the poems of Baudelaire, Verlaine and Pre-Raphaelite painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti. The power of Debussy's work resides in its suggestive, mysterious atmosphere that relies on silences and echoes, reducing the limits between reality and the oneiric world. From 1898 to 1902, he composed Pelléas et Mélisande, a piece based on Maurice Maeterlinck's play. Considered a major Symbolist work,Pelléas et Mélisande also provoked a scandal at the time.

The influence of German Richard Wagner (1813-1883), as mentioned earlier, was also very important. The mystery, violence and eroticism suggested in his musical pieces inspired both Symbolist painters and writers, who even founded the publication La Revue Wagnérienne(1885-1888) and explored the many aspects of his work.

While Decadence often brings images of stereotyped dandies, it is important to take a fresh look at this literary trend, the roots and philosophy of which were much more profound and elaborate than they often appear. Decadence was an essential transition that influenced all of the 19th century as well as the first half of the 20th century, giving birth to the Symbolists and even inspiring the Surrealists.

Rejecting standards, hypocrisy and conservatism, the Decadents expressed their revolt through the most civilized, most efficient and most respectable means, that is to say Art.

Briefly...

tapsalteerie — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 19:12:19 +0000

-The concealer is still missing.

-Knowing my guys' M.O. I'm sure that it's dried up as they never put the lids back on anything.

-I'm totally over the whole incident.

-The lying or lying-by-omission/misdirection thing is getting better.

-Unfortunately they've found other buttons to push.

-Beckett is cutting two teeth, which is making him pretty much insufferable.

-Couple that with his "male-region-problem" and he's been very much a nightmare to live with.

-Luckily that's getting better.

-Dandy's new thing is to completely push everyone to the edge of reason.

-You know it's bad when M calls on her mobile from the FRONT YARD to tell us that someone needs to "collect" Dandy because she's sprayed him with the hose-pipe out of frustration due to his cheekiness.

-Sophie is in "wander" mode, which means that at least three times a day I'm out on the porch hollering for her to at least yell back her location.

-On the plus side, Sophie's schooling is going GRRRRREEEAT!

-She has actually progressed up to some (gasp!) Gr.3 stuff!!

-We did crafts today.

-I found out that I'm "sensitive" to tempura paint.

-It's been 3 hours and I'm still "itchy"

-So is Sophie.

-I threw out the tempura paints.

-We made paper sunflowers out of newspaper and magazines.

-Sophie lost interest after she painted the petals.

-I'm blaming it on the paint effect.

-Did I mention I'm itchy?

-Sophie wants to be Little Red Riding Hood for Halloween.

-She asks us at least a 20 times everyday to get her costume.

-It was sold out at Wishcraft (but isn't now).

-But I found the exact same one for less money at a different website.

-I haven't ordered it yet.

-Sophie wanted Beckett to be the Big Bad Wolf.

-I'm voting for the woodsman.

-Jim is refusing to dress up as the wolf in G'ma's nightgown.

-Meanie.

-Surprisingly we've only been trick-or-treating once.

-Dandy's going as a pirate.

-He already has his costume.

-He wears it EVERY day.

-Literally.

-Grand estates in Europe have peacocks roaming their front lawns.

-I have turkeys.

-They are not wild.

-They are by far the funniest animals I've ever been around.

-I think everybody needs their own personal flock of turkeys.

-Simply because they'll agree (gobble) to anything you say.

-I've had mock sermons with them.

-They gobble every time I need an "Amen".

-They even side with me when Jim and I disagree. ("Am I right turkeys?" GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE!)

-That's about it.

-For now.

Inhale (1...2...3) Exhale

tapsalteerie — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:38:14 +0000

I love my kids. Really I do. Honestly. For really. I even like them too.

However right at this moment my two oldest are in their respective beds having a "forced" nap. Nevermind that Sophie's long since graduated from naps, nevermind that Dandy only naps after lunch. They need a nap. Or better yet, I need them to nap.

It seems my two intrepid adventurers decided that instead of playing with the thousands of toys in their room, they would much rather plunder the bathroom cabinets, which are so high that I have to stand in a (kiddie) chair to reach the topmost shelf.

And it wasn't so much that they plundered really. It's the fact that they sought out the new tube of concealer ('cause even us make-up free gals have occasion to hide blemishes) and used it to war-paint Beckett and have now "forgotten" where they put it.

"Forgotten" being very loosely used in the previous sentence.

First they told me it was upstairs. Then they told me it was "on a table". Then it was under a pillow, then under the bed, then downstairs, then... well then they just couldn't come up with another place to suggest.

I offered that maybe they were lying to save themselves from punishment... which was met with the biggest, doe-y-est eyes you've ever seen (I think Sophie even managed an "anime eye shimmy".

I was not impressed.

In one of my least proud Mommy moments I threatened to box up all their toys and give them to the mountain people (one day I'll explain, but for now, just follow me). When that didn't seem to cause enough effect I took away Sophie's PSP (which is actually mine) AND the dvd player and the effect was IMMEDIATE! Tears, grovelling, vain attempts to find the concealer... all to no avail.

So knowing that my temper was rapidly fraying beyond all hope I "napped" them. Considering that everyone is sickish here and on some sort of cough medicine, the odds are good that they're already asleep.

In the midst of my tirade with the older miscreants I overheard M having a similar go with Beckett. Turns out he's learned that the middle lever on the desk chair releases the back support and basically dumps the (unsuspecting) seated person into the floor. Perhaps it's a nice trick with Sophie... not so much with M.

Ok... I was wrong, Dandy's not asleep. He's chanting "I want to say I'm sorry" from upstairs. I'm sooo not impressed right at this moment.

Faerie Festival

ifics — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 23:32:03 +0000

The Faerie Festival is upon us, and the JN Editorial is not (well it wasn't when I started this post), and well, Sci was bored. So, here for you now are the previously hidden images of the Jellyneo staff, as faeries!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="133" caption="1337 as Fyora"][/caption]	[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="Dandy as the Tooth Faerie"][/caption]	[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="Dave as the Happiness Faerie"][/caption]	[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="89" caption="Henri (3)"][/caption]
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="Herdy as Nuria"][/caption]	[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="Iaeternus as the Happiness Faerie"][/caption]	[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="Illy as Illusen"][/caption]	[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="137" caption="Jen as the Tooth Faerie"][/caption]
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="jen as Fyora"][/caption]	[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="Joey as Illusen"][/caption]	[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="Katje as Taelia"][/caption]	[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="Luke as Taelia"][/caption]
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="110" caption="Mandi (2)"][/caption]	[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="109" caption="Mike as the Space Faerie"][/caption]	[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="Nexy as Taelia"][/caption]	[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="Rosie as Taelia"][/caption]
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="Ruby (2)"][/caption]	[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="Rylon as Illusen"][/caption]	[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="109" caption="SciFi as the Space Faerie"][/caption]	[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="160" caption="Scissors as Jhudora"][/caption]
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="Stephen as Illusen"][/caption]	[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="125" caption="Suzuka as a Battle Faerie"][/caption]	[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="110" caption="Tawm as Bree, the KeyQuest Faerie"][/caption]	[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="Terry as the Happiness Faerie"][/caption]
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="109" caption="Willie as the Space Faerie"][/caption]	[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="Zador as Jhudora"][/caption]	[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="100" caption="Sirius as E404"][/caption]	[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="100" caption="Weepit as E404"][/caption]

Most link to the blag posts where they are, some go to the image and have not been seen before! If you just want to see the image and not the post, remove the .th near the end of the url.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="139" caption="Mischievous Baby Salabounder"][/caption]

The faerie images are a mix of Neopets Backgrounds, Neopets Art Gallery Winners & Google Image Search and of course the Baby Salabounder is from Baby Salabounder's Office Adventure on Twin Skies Forum.

Apologies to iaeternus & Stephen for forgetting you till now >.<

"Dandy Pants?"

adappergent — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 21:00:49 +0000

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="James Kessler -Owner of "A Fine Tooth""][/caption]

So I go to Von's the other day, after working out, to pick up a few essentials. Essentials mainly being, cereal and milk, which I absolutely cant seem to live without. Ive already eaten 4-5 boxes within the last 2 days. I'm beginning to think that I'm as obsessed with cereal as I am with ..........well in other news, lets talk Dandy Pants!

After finally getting the essentials I meander my way down the magazine aisle to make sure that I'd pick up the latest addition of GQ (Gentlemans Quarterly). I ran across an article in Vegas magazine, yes we have a magazine totally dedicated to our sin driven city, of a gentleman by the name of James Kessler. James Kessler is the owner of "A Fine Tooth" and also the designer behind, what he likes to call, "Dandy Pants".

Dandy Pants are custom made trousers that Mr. Kessler measures and creates himself. For those of you who don't know - pants are also called trousers - and if you didn't know "You should be ashamed of yourself you "bloody-twit!".

Immediately I wanted to track Mr. Kessler down and thank him for making my life a lot easier. Their are countless times that I've run across the perfect shirt, jacket or blazer for a client and cant seem to locate the perfect set of trousers to go with them.

I mean of course I find something that can be considered the best fit for a client (after all we are the best). And perhaps it is indeed sold by the same designer who made the shirt, blazer or jacket. But nothing says sartorial excellence like bespoke pieces. I like to often suggest to clients that they have at least 1-2 bespoke suits on hand at all times. After all you never know where the PJ might run out of gas (joking of course).

So if your ever in Vegas and just cant seem to make the handiest decision when it comes to trousers - try the dandiest, I sure will!

- Adappergent

O retrato de Dorian Gray

dostoievskiano — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 01:15:31 +0000

Pra os quem curti Oscar Wilde uma boa notícia:Está sendo elaborado uma nova versão para o cinema desse livro tão sutil e charmoso.Está sendo dirigido por Oliver Parker,o qual é desconhecido para mim,desde o verão e recebeu,aparentemente,500.00 libras(ou seja lá o que eles usam na avarenta e Austera Inglaterra)para produção do filme.O livro conta a estória de um rapaz,Dorian Gray,influênciado por Lord Henry Wottom,que conhece Dorian através de Basil Hallward,mergulha em um estilo de vida hedonista e Dandy.Os atores destes três são Ben Barnes,um ilustre desconhecido cujo trabalho mais “conhecido” é The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,Colin Firth(Femme fatale, Bridget Jones’s Diary,Mamma Mia!)e Ben Chaplin, respectivamente.Para deixar as coisas mais claras,pois talvez tenham pessoas que não sabem o que é um Dandy,Dandy é ,de acordo com Charles Baudelaire,aquela pessoa que busca cultivar a idéia beleza nela mesma,buscando novos horizontes para o prazer através dos estudos da sensibilidade e dos sentimentos,rompendo os costumes.Logicamente,nem todos eram assim,mas em nosso caso podemos levar em consideração essa definição de Dandy.Basta esperar pra ver se tal filme alcançará os pés desse marco da literatura.

Sakaram and Pandurang to fight terror with a ‘danda’!

Pavan Gupta — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 18:40:24 +0000

Once again there were serial blasts, this time in Delhi. Once again the ‘Dandy’ (Shivraj Patil) gave a statement, this time in Grey Safari suit. Once again the politicians were caught with ‘dog poop’ on their faces, this time in the national capital. But the problem remains and keeps growing. Now, the Indian Mujahideen has given an advance notice to Mumbai and I take them for their word. Who plans to protect Bombay (or Mumbai), Sakaram (a term used for an incompetent Bombay cop), or Pandurang (the omni-present peon)? India is not prepared for this new phenomenon of the ‘Islamic Terror’. If the Indian Police and other ‘National Security Agencies’ consider this as a law and order problem, they would never be able to fight this growing menace. No one understands this kind of terror better than the London security agencies or the State of Israel. Both have faced prolonged periods of organized terror and both have fought back successfully.

There are two parts to the organized terror. One is the cause and obviously the other is the solution. In my opinion, the cause could be ideological, religious or civilizational. The solution is not that easy. The first part has to be fought by a sustained effort for reconciliation and inclusion, like the one you see between Blacks and Whites in America. The second part must be an initiative and certainly not reactive. What you see in India is the latter kind. The security agencies and the police force is looking at crime prevention rather than establishing an infrastructure to combat any form of organized terrorism. The crucial part of creating the infrastructure is the infiltration into the enemy territory. In India, the terror comes predominantly from the Islamic World. The security forces need to have a cadre of well trained linguistics who could easily penetrate into the terror networks and provide critical information to the government. It means that these field agents would not only have an intimate knowledge of Urdu, Arabic, Persian and other Islamic languages but also be familiar with the Islamic Culture. India is blessed with millions of Muslim Patriots who would willingly serve their country, provided India takes care of them and their families in return.

The second part of the security infrastructure is the ‘technological advantage’. If the terror networks are using contemporary technologies to commit crime, the security agencies should be several steps ahead of them. The US government had the ‘internet technology’ since the Second World War, but never commercialized it. India needs to develop sensitive technologies for national security purposes only. This means a full participation of the private sector with personnel having a ‘National Clearance’ as well as having the best and the brightest brains working for the government. Not only the ‘Central Government’ but even the ‘State Governments’ must recruit personnel directly from the IITs and the IIMs. India has no dearth of talent. It has always been the out-dated methods of government hiring and lack of firing that has resulted into this huge second-rate pool of government employees. Another important component is the compensation to the best and the brightest. If the governments are not ready to compensate the talent commensurately, it would be their loss in the long run. Each and every act of terror has incalculable commercial and economic cost to it. We just avoid thinking about it! It is time to grow-up.

Iamx

mariuk — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 14:51:28 +0000

The big discovery of the Sziget Festival 2007 was for me IAMX. Extraordinary voice of Chris Corner (British charming guy from former Sneaker Pimps)...perfect showman with the most dandy look I have seen in a long time...minha galera took our hands and said ''u have to see this''...we did and it was great!

Last FM: http://www.last.fm/music/IAMX

Bend it Like Byron: An Article About Dandies

Vic (Ms. Place) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 15:52:14 +0000

John Clubbe, the author of 'Bend it Like Byron: The Sartorial Sublime', an 18-page PDF document published by Erudit, starts off with some interesting insights about Beau Brummell, Lord Byron, and Napoleon Bonaparte, linking them sartorially during their time and with later dandies, like David Beckham:

[caption id="attachment_1582" align="alignright" width="170" caption="Byron"][/caption]
Byron liked being linked with Brummell and Napoleon. In fact, along with Hazlitt and Thackeray he made the association himself. He told Brummell he regarded him “as one of the great men of the nineteenth century.” Evaluating his contemporaries, he placed “himself third, Napoleon second, and Brummell first.” The ranking would have pleased Brummell, but so generous an estimate by Byron of Brummell’s greatness — what can he mean? I have come to think Byron astonishingly prescient. He and Napoleon play leading roles in the Romantic Sublime, but if we ponder what I delight in calling the Sartorial Sublime we discover that Byron gauged well the contemporary fame — and even presaged the future significance — of George Bryan (“Beau”) Brummell.

[caption id="attachment_1587" align="alignleft" width="140" caption="Beau Brummell"][/caption]

While Brummell's fame as a dandy is still widely known, many have forgotten Lord Byron's obsession with dress and with the dandy's attitude of studied boredom, indifference and disdain. His calculated approach to language and style placed him squarely in the pantheon of dandies. J. B. Priestey wrote about dandyism, saying: "In its indifference to serious matters and its intense focus upon trivia, Regency dandyism was a half-defiant, half humorous way of life. There was in it a good deal of poker-faced impudence." (The Prince of Pleasure and the Regency.) As Mr. Clubbe writes, "Brummell did not concern himself with vulgar politics or economic matters." This attitude, along with his fastidiousness and obsession with detail in dress, set him apart from other men and drew the Prince Regent's admiration.

[caption id="attachment_1592" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Bonaparte, unfinished portrait by Jacques Louis David"][/caption]

According to Clubbe, Napoleon Bonaparte shrewdly used clothes and dress to stage his ambitions. His private secretary wrote that the general was always impeccably dressed, even when marching. While Bonaparte was instantly recognizable by the simplicity of his attire, his use of clothes in ceremonial state of affairs was another matter. Bonaparte's garments of robes and ermine could "rival in opulent grandeur those of the Sun King himself."

Dandyism in its varying forms survives intact today. Clubbe links David Beckham's modern forays into fashion with Brummell's, but that he has yet to achieve that seemingly effortless style and attitude towards fashion. This article is well worth reading for its insights and information. (See link below.) In addition I added more links about Beau Brummell and dandies of his age, and highly recommend a visit to Dandyism.net, which I regard the premier dandy web site.

Bend it Like Byron: The Sartorial Sublime of Byron, Bonaparte, and Brummel, With Glances at Their Modern Progeny, John Clubbe, Erudit, 2005.

More links about dandies:

Beau Brummell: Don't let the title of this blog (On Kayaks) fool you. This is a comprehensive post about the Beau.
Beau Brummell: King of Fashion: Dandyism.net: More about Beau Brummell on this premier dandy site.
The Parks of London: Dandyism.net: This post includes an interesting verbal portrait of Beau Brummell.
Dutch exhibit of The Life of a Dandy: 1800 till the present: This exhibit makes similar points as John Clubbe's article, only visually. You do not need to read Dutch to understand the gist of this exhibit.

Lumi ed ombre di Russia: Batjuskov (1787-1855)

massimiliano — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:30:36 +0000

Kostantin Batjuskov nacque a Vologda nel maggio del 1787 da una famiglia nobile ma non ricchissima. Trascorse l’infanzia nella tenuta di famiglia e appena adolescente andò a San Pietroburgo per continuare gli studi. Qui imparò il francese, il tedesco e l’italiano. Nel 1802 si impiegò nel Ministero della Pubblica Istruzione, iniziò a frequentare i circoli letterari e pubblicò le sue prime poesie. Poi partecipò alle campagne contro Napoleone, la cui sconfitta definitiva permise a Batjuskov di tornare a San Pietroburgo. Qui si innamorò non ricambiato e la delusione lo portò a realizzare il tanto vagheggiato viaggio in Italia. Soggiornò a Napoli, Sorrento, Ischia e poi a Roma. Ma quando nel 1821 tornò in Russia iniziarono a manifestarsi i primi sintomi della malattia mentale che lo avrebbe accompagnato fino alla morte. Col passare del tempo i suoi disturbi si aggravarono: durante le crisi distruggeva i manoscritti e tentava il suicidio. Dichiarato incurabile dai medici, Batjuskov si rifugiò a Vologda, dov trascorse gli ultimi 30 anni della sua vita fuori dalla realtà. Tradusse Tibullo, Parny e Tasso, e una delle sue poesie più famose è proprio Il Tasso morente (1817).

"Faccio i bagni in acqua minerale, bevo acqua minerale, mi nutro di fichi, mi arrostisco al sole, passeggio per vialetti sotto tralci di vite al soffio del vento africano e, quel che è meglio, mi godo la più solenne vista del mondo. Davanti a me è sorrento, la culla di quell'uomo al quale debbo i più grandi godimenti della mia vita". (Lettera da Ischia a V.A. Zukovskij)

"Proprio come l’imperatore Tiberio – la cui isola (Capri) si trova di fronte alla mia finestra – non sapeva in che modo cominciare il proprio messaggio al senato, così io, agitato da sentimenti contrastanti, in mezzo alle preoccupazioni e alle distrazioni, tra le visioni e le spese, in mezzo all’incessante vociare della gente che riempie il lungomare, al suono delle catene dei forzati, al canto dei pulcinella, dei lazzaroni e delle lavandaie non sono capace, non so da cosa incominciare la mia lettera…Ogni giorno il popolo si riversa a ondate nel vasto teatro a godere della musica di Rossini e del dilettevole canto delle sue sirene, mentre il nostro vicino Vesuvio si prepara all’eruzione; si dice che a Portici e nei dintorni i pozzi stiano incominciando a prosciugarsi: segno, secondo le parole degli osservatori, che il vulcano si metterà al lavoro”. (Lettera da Napoli a A.I. Turgenev)

Aleksej Kara-Murza, Napoli russa

Sebastian Horsley: Whoring Guide

Mr. Anonymous® — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 04:01:23 +0000