Overview

Aubrey Beardsley and British Wagnerism in the 1890s is an interdisciplinary study of the influence of the operas, writing, and personality of Richard Wagner (1813-1883) on the work of Aubrey Beardsley (1872-1898). Examining Beardsley's drawings and prose of the 1890s the study considers the ways in which Wagner's works were appropriated by this seminal figure of the British decadent movement. Despite recent critical interest in Beardsley and the 'fin-de-siècle', and considerable research on Wagnerism, Aubrey Beardsley and British Wagernism in the 1890s is the first study in English to consider at length Wagner's presence in Beardsley's work. Beardsley combined allusions to the German composer with many of the touchstones of decadent art - the exotic, the morbid, the erotic, and the mannered. In exploring Beardsley's often iconoclastic versions - or perversions - of Wagner's work Aubrey Beardsley and British Wagernism in the 1890s aims to investigate the role of Wagnerism with 'fin-de-siècle' British culture, in particular the relations between Wagnerism and contemporary decadence.

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9780198187325

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Reviews

`In her riveting and original new book, Aubrey Beardsley and British Wagnerism in the 1890s ... Emma Sutton vividly illuminates the relationship of art, music and society at a crucial point in cultural history.' RA, The Royal Academy of Arts Magazine, Summer 2003 `Sutton's argument is carefully and persuasively constructed . . . [she] demonstrates impressive sensitivity' Music and Letters, February 2004 `The text offers an original critique of interpretations of ifin de siecle aestheticism, a wealth of information for students from a variety of disciplines alike to pursue their own interests, and an overdue reassessment of Beardsley's work as thoroughly engaged in the addressing of the issues of the 1890's.' Australasian Victorian Studies Journal

`In her riveting and original new book, Aubrey Beardsley and British Wagnerism in the 1890s ... Emma Sutton vividly illuminates the relationship of art, music and society at a crucial point in cultural history.' RA, The Royal Academy of Arts Magazine, Summer 2003 `Sutton's argument is carefully and persuasively constructed . . . [she] demonstrates impressive sensitivity' Music and Letters, February 2004 `The text offers an original critique of interpretations of ifin de siecle aestheticism, a wealth of information for students from a variety of disciplines alike to pursue their own interests, and an overdue reassessment of Beardsley's work as thoroughly engaged in the addressing of the issues of the 1890's.' Australasian Victorian Studies Journal

This book shows an impressive breadth and depth of scholarship. It provides a wealth of scholarly citation, plentiful detailed information, and some material that is either new or little emphasized ... it is a pleasure, moreover, that [Sutton's] book employs user-friendly footnotes at the bottom of each page, instead of resorting to much more cumbersome endnotes. Journal of Pre-Raphaelite Studies Sutton has written a ground-breaking book that richly amplifies our view of Beardsley as an artist in black and white. Victorian Studies ... admirable study ... a very solid piece of scholarship that will be a valuable contribution to the cultural history of the fin de siecle as well as to Beardsley studies. Journal of Pre-Raphaelite Studies ... a very fine piece of scholarship ... Sutton gives us important new insights into several Beardsley works that have not previously been sufficiently understood and helpfully corrects errors by previous scholars. Journal of Pre-Raphaelite Studies ... an important cultural history and an exemplary paradigm of interdisciplinary research ... This study is especially pertinent, for British Wagnerism has received as little critical attention in literary studies as it has in musicology of nineteenth-century Britain. Nineteenth-Century Literature ... an informative and welcome addition to scholarship about fin-de-siecle Britain. Not only is Sutton widely read, but she also has the ability to connect disparate discourses persuasively. Her discussion is illuminating and apposite, especially in a period of increasing interest in interdisciplinary scholarship. Scholars in various disciplines will find her book not only a useful reference but also a fine interdisciplinary undertaking. Nineteenth-Century Literature In her riveting and original new book, Aubrey Beardsley and British Wagnerism in the 1890s ... Emma Sutton vividly illuminates the relationship of art, music and society at a crucial point in cultural history. RA, The Royal Academy of Arts Magazine, Summer 2003 Sutton's argument is carefully and persuasively constructed ... [she] demonstrates impressive sensitivity. Music and Letters, February 2004

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Emma Sutton works at the English Department in the University of Edinburgh

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