Decadent Writings of Aubrey Beardsley

This edition of Aubrey Beardsley’s writings aims to establish his reputation as a key figure in Decadent literature on a par with his iconic status in the visual arts. It publishes for the first time the text of his unfinished erotic novel Under the Hill (written between 1894 and 1896) in its original form alongside a facsimile of his manuscript. The extensive scholarly annotations reveal the breadth of Beardsley’s literary references, which range from medieval romance to French erotic slang. By way of introducing readers to other forms of his writing, the volume also reproduces and annotates a selection of his poems and essayistic prose.