Review: David Weir, Decadence: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018)

Abstract

There are as many definitional models of decadence as there are applications. The history of scholarship fixed upon defining and describing the term is long and rich, indicative of the term’s elusive and convoluted nature. David Weir’s book is a roadmap of decadence along historical and geographical coordinates. It offers a bird’s-eye view of what the term represents in its multifaceted aspect, while zooming in on its milestone documents and pivotal moments.