"Not-so-Imaginary Portraits": An Analysis of Arthur Symons' Spiritual Adventures

Abstract

Questa tesi tratterà le varie sfaccettature estetico-decadenti riscontrabili nell’opera Spiritual Adventures di Arthur Symons, uno dei maggiori sostenitori del movimento decadente e simbolista di fine Ottocento. Per questi motivi il concetto di arte e la sua relazione con quello di vita saranno il filo conduttore dell’intera analisi, in cui verrà dimostrato come il potere onnicomprensivo del primo plasmi la mentalità dei protagonisti, diventandone l’unica ragione d’esistenza. Successivamente verrà approfondito come l’amore venga visto dall’artista in un’accezione prevalentemente negativa, dimostrandosi un ostacolo alla sua ascesi estetica e costringendolo a rinunciarvi per il bene di quest’ultima. Tenendo a mente le opinioni di Symons riguardo il genere femminile e l’amore, diversi elementi della misoginia fin de siècle di stampo schopenhaueriano verranno messi in evidenza per dimostrare come questa mentalità influenzi le azioni dei personaggi, i quali si configurano come alter ego dell’autore. Infine, la natura spiccatamente autobiografica di quest’opera permetterà di tracciare un paragone tra i vari “portrait” e il loro autore, chiarendone l’intenzione di trasformare la propria stessa vita stessa in un’opera d’arte. Inoltre, l’utilizzo da parte di Symons di altri artisti realmente esistiti, come base creativa per i suoi personaggi, consente la trasmissione al lettore del suo messaggio e visione artistica simbolista; tutto ciò rende Spiritual Adventures una raccolta di ritratti “non così immaginari”.

This dissertation tackles various facets of Spiritual Adventures, a collection of short stories published by Arthur Symons in 1905. Symons himself was one of the most important advocates of the Decadent avant-garde in late nineteenth century Britain. Art provides a common thread, tying back to almost all topics which are handled here. The survey begins with the most important dichotomy of them all, namely art and life. In this regard the connections between these two concepts and the all-encompassing power of the former show the mentality of the various protagonists (who could be perceived as alter-egos of the author) as artists, who dedicated their entire existence to their craft. Subsequently, the mischievously alluring and imprisoning power of the artist’s love is explored in all its fallacies; it is shown that, generally, such a powerful feeling, normally perceived as positive, takes on a much more negative form, thus becoming an obstacle and a hindrance for the artists’ creative endeavours. Considering the author’s stance on romance, love, and women in general, various misogynistic elements noticeable in these stories are highlighted. Lastly a parallel is drawn between the author himself and his characters to show the myriad autobiographical elements that the author inserted in this attempt at fiction writing. It becomes apparent how Symons disguises himself in most of the protagonists, for in their creation he pours a great deal both of himself and of other artists he respected, while managing to refashion events of his life into a work of art. The utilisation of other established artists (with whom he shared his artistic vision) for the portraits of Spiritual Adventures participates in conveying his decadent and symbolist message to the readers: the ultimate goal in life is to seek art, for only then will their lives truly become beautiful.