The Decadent 1890s: English Literary Culture and the Fin de Siècle
William Andrews Clark Memorial Library,
University of California, Los Angeles
Monday, June 22-Friday, July 24, 2009
Dear Colleague:
Let me begin by thanking you for your interest in our five-week NEH-sponsored seminar dedicated to English literary decadence of the reputedly naughty 1890s. This seminar will bring together fifteen college-level instructors who have a proven interest in the frequently controversial writings of the Victorian fin de siècle. The syllabus embraces a very broad range of writings produced during a lively decade that has long been associated with bohemian excess. This was, after all, the era when the dissolute group of poets that Yeats dubbed “The Tragic Generation” captured attention. Moreover, it was the time when American writer Henry Harland boldly launched the sexually provocative Yellow Book, whose contents provoked outrage in the press. Furthermore, it was the epoch when Oscar Wilde experienced his meteoric rise as a writer of brilliant society comedies, only to fall from grace, very rapidly, when his libel suit against the Marquess of Queensberry foundered in the spring of 1895. Simultaneously, the 1890s comprised a decade when some truly innovative—and often critically neglected—women’s writings came to prominence, especially in the form of “New Woman” fictions, such as those written by Ella d’Arcy, George Egerton, Charlotte Mew, and Olive Schreiner. The period also witnessed some striking developments in the supernatural tale, including transformations of this genre by Vernon Lee and Arthur Machen. Even if the last decade of the nineteenth century has routinely been dismissed as a rather frivolous and degenerate affair, it is certainly a period in which the more experimental literary works make decisive breaks with the moral seriousness, narrative realism, and formal constraints associated with the High Victorians. Close study of this era helps students of literature understand how and why the fin de siècle laid some of the ground for the structural and conceptual changes brought about by early modernist writing. Full details of the syllabus can be found on the seminar website: www.humnet.ucla.edu/c1718cs/neh-sum09.
“The Decadent 1890s” enables participants to learn more about a diverse body of fin-de-siècle literature by providing access to the unrivaled resources of the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library. (Information about the archives held at the library is outlined in the section below.) The library holds first and rare editions of all of the writers whose works we will study, and it contains an extensive body of secondary literature that relates to all of the primary sources we will be examining. Each applicant who is selected to participate in the seminar will receive (free of charge) several specially prepared readers that reprint first editions of many of our primary materials, which include (among other items) the two books of the Rhymers’ Club, the first two issues of the Yellow Book, volumes of poetry by Michael Field (Katharine Bradley and Edith Cooper), Alice Meynell, and Dollie Radford, and Grant Allen’s The British Barbarians.
The Clark Library is most important rare book library in the world for the study of fin-de-siècle writing because it contains the largest archive devoted to Oscar Wilde and his circle. This distinguished library was erected in 1924-26 in the West Adams district of Los Angeles in order to house the collections of William Andrews Clark (1877-1934). While Mr. Clark’s main collections originally focused on late seventeenth- and eighteenth-century literature, toward the end of his life he developed a strong interest in Oscar Wilde and his contemporaries. In 1928 Mr. Clark obtained the larger proportion of the hundreds of items either by or about Oscar Wilde that went on sale at Dulau and Company in London. Many of these items—including manuscripts, typescripts, corrected page proofs, and presentation copies—had been owned either by Oscar Wilde’s surviving son, Vyvyan Holland, or his literary executor, Robert Ross. Since 1934, when Mr. Clark’s estate bequeathed his library to the University of California, the Oscar Wilde archive has expanded considerably. Among the most noteworthy recent acquisitions is the 304-page “Philosophy” notebook which contains the writer’s reflections on the vast quantity of reading he undertook in preparation for his Final Examinations in literæ humaniores at Oxford in 1878. One of my current projects involves editing this imposing notebook, along with various other unpublished manuscripts from Oscar Wilde’s time at Oxford.
Interested parties might like to consult comprehensive finding-aid that permits detailed searches through this amazing archive (http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf338nb1zb). Moreover, the Clark Library hosts many scholarly events that relate to this resource. In 2004 it held a conference that explored Oscar Wilde’s legacies to modern culture. (A volume deriving from this conference will appear from Ohio University Press in November 2008.) In May 2009 the library will host a conference titled “The Wilde Archive,” which features papers by twelve of the fifteen participants in the NEH summer seminar of that name that took place in 2007. All research-related activities held at the Clark Library are administered by UCLA’s Center for Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Studies, and thus the Center will oversee all arrangements for the five-week seminar on “The Decadent 1890s.”
The finding-tool for the Wilde archive provides access to the papers of J. Lewis May, who published his finely researched study, John Lane and the Nineties, in 1936. Since Lane issued volumes by many of the authors whose works feature in “The Decadent 1890s,” May’s papers will provide important insights into the remarkable work that this publisher achieved (through his partnership with Elkin Mathews) when he launched the pioneering Bodley Head imprint in the late 1880s. Among the other relevant collections held at the Clark are the papers of Dollie Radford. The papers of Holbrook Jackson, who published The Eighteen-Nineties in 1913, are held at the Department of Special Collections, Young Research Library, on the main UCLA campus at Westwood. A microfilm set of Michael Field’s manuscript journal, Works and Days, is held at the YRL.
This NEH-sponsored seminar provides college and university teachers with the opportunity to read widely in the literature of the 1890s. You will see from the syllabus that we will begin our discussion by looking at several noteworthy volumes dedicated to the literary culture of the 1890s. In particular, Jackson’s enduringly useful Eighteen-Nineties will be our most important point of departure. Therefore, we will look at the poetry gathered in the two anthologies published by members of the Rhymers’ Club before turning to the work of a number of women poets, including Michael Field and Dollie Radford, who made distinctive contributions to fin-de-siècle literature. Once we have learned more about the centrality of the publisher John Lane in 1890s writing, we will explore the controversies associated with the journal known as The Yellow Book, which Lane issued in 1894. Although Lane could hardly be called a Decadent publisher (his lists included quite a number of anti-Decadent works), he showed little hesitation in courting sensational publicity, which he assuredly achieved when he issued the English-language translation of Wilde’s experimental play, Salomé, which featured Aubrey Beardsley’s striking illustrations of this biblical drama. Beardsley illustrated many volumes for Lane, including George Egerton’s feminist Keynotes and Grant Allen’s The British Barbarians. Both of these volumes, which enjoyed “best-seller” status, along with Wilde’s play, count among our readings. After Beardsley parted company with Lane, he worked alongside Decadent poet Arthur Symons on the short-lived but significant periodical, the Savoy. Our concluding sessions focus on the impact this journal had when Decadence appears to have run its course.
The seminar will take place from 9.30am to 12.30pm on each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. After lunch until 4.45pm (when the Clark Library closes), members of the seminar will be able to use the library’s remarkable resources. In addition, I will be available most afternoons for consultation. At the start of each morning session, I will ask the participants to divide into smaller groups (usually pairs) to establish an agenda of topics that we would like to cover in the three hours dedicated to discussion. Once we have sorted out the agenda for the morning, we will proceed to cover each item. Regular access to both the Clark Library’s archives and rare book collections will provide opportunities for the visiting scholars to undertake original research projects. It is more than probable that participants will identify and consult important sources in the library that they would like to share with all of the seminar members. A library assistant will be on hand to help us view and discuss rare books or archival materials that are relevant to our inquiries.
In order to support each participant develop skills in using the resources of the Clark Library, I will hold regular individual meetings. I will also be available for consultation during the afternoon periods that follow each of our Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning sessions.
You can find out more about the Center for Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Studies through the following link: http://www.humnet.ucla.edu/humnet/c1718cs. Information about the Clark Library and its collections can be accessed through this link: http://www.humnet.ucla.edu/humnet/clarklib. Interested parties can also download my curriculum vitae by clicking here where you will see the extent of the research on the literary fin de siècle that I have carried out since joining UCLA in 1996.
As the director of the seminar, I will ensure that participants become immediately acquainted with the Center staff, with the Clark librarians, and of course with one another. The library staff members have much expertise to share not only in how to use online and card catalogues. They are also seasoned hands at ensuring that visiting scholars make the very best use of UCLA’s capacious library system. Time will be devoted to familiarizing seminar members with significant databases that focus on Victorian literary studies in general and the 1890s in particular. In addition, participants will have access to key works of reference about the fin de siècle that shall be arranged on a book cart in the reading room. In order for seminar members to have easy access to UCLA’s other libraries, two graduate student helpers will fulfill requests for books and articles by locating, borrowing, and then delivering them to the Clark Library within a day. (It should be noted that the Clark Library is located some twelve miles from the main UCLA campus at Westwood.) Participants will no doubt wish to make use of this book delivery service because some of the critical sources that they may need are not always held at the Clark Library. Visiting scholars may of course prefer to travel to the UCLA main campus in order to explore its libraries. (We will provide advice on parking lots and permits.) Please note that it is not possible to borrow books from any of the Clark’s collections. Library users may only use pencils (not ink) when making notes.
The Clark Library, which is open weekdays from 9.00am to 4.45pm, has excellent facilities for visiting scholars. The spacious seminar room enables wireless connections to the internet; it also has several terminals that give users direct access to email, the UCLA library catalogue, the Clark Library’s finding-aids, and many different databases. Printers will be available. Moreover, our computing assistant, Alastair Thorne, will set up a MOODLE file-sharing site through which we can share resources that we agree would be useful to have posted. MOODLE is extremely easy to use, and it enables everyone involved in the seminar to exchange research findings and scholarly resources.
The Clark Library does not have onsite catering. All of its library users are advised either to bring lunch with them (there is a kitchen with a refrigerator, coffee-maker, grinder, kettle, sink, and plates and flatware) or to make arrangements to have lunch at a nearby café (there are several local eateries). At the start of the seminar, I will stock the fridge with regular and soy milk, tea-bags, and coffee, as well as cookies.
Since the Clark Library funds a program of visiting scholars each and every academic year, it maintains a detailed list of available housing in the area. Short-term rents vary considerably according the kind of accommodation that individuals require. It is, however, possible to rent a single room for a month for as little as $550. More spacious accommodation in a city known for its high rents necessarily comes at a greater price. Our housing officer, Suzanne Tatian, updates the housing list at regular intervals; she can be contacted at . The seminar website lists a large number of resources for finding accommodation. In 2007 many participants found CraigsList extremely useful when searching for rooms or apartments.
With regard to living expenses, applicants should note, too, that Los Angeles is notorious for its inadequate mass transportation system. Although the Clark Library is located close to a number of bus lines, it remains the case that participants are likely to find traveling to and from the West Adams district difficult if they do not have a car. The Clark Library has a large, well-guarded parking lot. It should be noted that the library lies very close to the 10 Freeway, which provides excellent access to the West Side of the city; the West Side offers a very broad range of cultural facilities.
Applicants who are awarded a place in the seminar enjoy visiting scholar status during their stay in Los Angeles. As visiting scholars, members of the seminar can make full use of all of UCLA’s excellent library resources and sports facilities. You can gain insights into the range of amenities across the main campus by going to www.ucla.edu.
Completed applications should be postmarked no later than March 2, 2009 and mailed to the Center for Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Studies, University of California, Los Angeles, 310 Royce Hall, UCLA Los Angeles, California 90095-1404; phone: 310-206-8552 ; fax: 310-206-8577. Applications will be reviewed by the seminar director and a committee appointed by the Center. Perhaps the most important part of the application is the four-page essay. This essay should include any personal and academic information that is relevant; reasons for applying to the particular project; your interest, both intellectual and personal, in the topic; qualifications to do the work of the project and make a contribution to it; what you hope to accomplish by participation, including any individual research and writing projects; and the relation of the study to your teaching.
You will see that the stipend for each participant is $3,800. When visiting scholars arrive on the first day of the seminar, they will collect their stipend.
If you have any questions about the points raised in this letter or have any other queries relating to the seminar, then you must not hesitate to contact me either at this address or via email at
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