Presentation

The end of the 19th century was a pivotal moment in the process of internationalization of cultural models. By observing the worldwide diffusion of symbolism and decadence, we can see how the main actors of these movements developed an extreme awareness of how crucial a global deployment was. The current project aims to study this phenomenon and to reveal its mechanisms: from its media promotion to the functioning of international recognition. Symbolism and decadence benefited from the technological and media redeployment in progress at the end of the 19th century, from the facilitation of travel and the colonial expansion to spread across the globe. The press and the reception of the works also reflected the important entanglement between national identities and the literary works. We will investigate all the dimensions of this first cultural globalization in which the national and the international went hand in hand.

Promoters

  • Clément Dessy, Faculty of Letters, Translation and Communication, ULB
  • Stefano Maria Evangelista, Faculty of English, University of Oxford
  • Patrick McGuinness, Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages, University of Oxford