"Disease Metaphor" In The 19th Century French Decadentism

Due to the vagueness and ambiguity of "decadence",Decadentism in the 19th Century has always been a highly controversial topic:It rescued "decadence" from the quagmire of "vulgarity,depravity,and decline",and endowed it with positive value in literature.Decadent writers cleverly used "disease" as a clarion call for resistance in the process of rectifying "decadence".The first reason is that "disease" and "decadence" have their own natural internal relations,and they are both in the difficult situation of being abandoned and suppressed.By exploring the meaning of disease writing,it is not only to provide a secret channel for the rectification of decadent literature,but also to pry out the secret voice of decadent writers through "disease".This paper consists of introduction,four chapters and conclusion.The introduction part summarizes the current situation of the study of the Decadentism,and discusses the reasons and values of the study.In addition,the focus of this chapter is to identify and define the core concepts of the paper,starting from the source of "decadence" and "disease" to sort out the development context from "decadence" to "decadent style" to "Decadentism",as well as the historical evolution process of "disease" after entering "Disease metaphor"The first chapter mainly discusses the narrative motivation of "disease" described by decadent writers.The disease is influenced by individual and social attitudes.When examining the narrative motivation,it is undoubtedly a more comprehensive way to consider the author’s own unique disease experience and the "disease" of French society in the 19th century.The second and third chapters mainly analyze the uniqueness of Decadentism works in the"style" and "theme" through Close Reading.On the stylistic level,the special narrative perspective of "patient" makes decadent works pay more attention to subtle personal feelings in content,while in form,it is expressed as a fragmented language style.On the subject level,pathological protagonists are the most distinctive symbol of Decadentism.They are "divided" pathological characters,possessing "Hamlet’s soul" and "Animal soul" at the same time.Moreover,the morbid characters are not created through plots in the works of decadent writers,but placed in open or closed spaces,and feel the characters from the space.In addition,disease caused strong physical sensations,making "body" an important theme in decadent literature.Among the decadent works,"Androgyny" and "Sexual Inversion" are particularly eye-catchingThe fourth chapter investigates the secret views of the times conveyed by decadent writers through "disease".Writers liberated "disease" from the binary opposition of "Disease-Health",which not only affirmed the positive significance of "Disease writing",but also expressed resistance to traditional rules such as unity and hierarchy.At the same time,"disease" has become a weapon for decadent writers to fight against the times,but the innate decline of "disease" also implies that decadent writers will eventually escape and loseThe conclusion part discusses the meaning of disease writing in Decadentism,and"decadence" is related to "Fin-de-siecle" sentiment.In many countries and cultures,"decadence"appears repeatedly as a response to social changes or crises.The focus on the topic of "disease"and "decadence" fits the current epidemic times.At the same time,disease and life go hand in hand,and finding the meaning of "disease" in literature is also an important part of life inquiry and humanistic care.