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'''Fin de siècle''' is French for "'end of the century'," though also implying end of an era. The term "'turn-of-the-century'" is sometimes used as a synonym, but is more neutral, lacking some or most of the cultural connotations described below. The expression often occurs in English prose without the grave accent. It is often used to refer to the end of the nineteenth century and the Belle Epoque era.

Contents

Basic connotations

Broader sense

References

See also

External links

Basic connotations

The expression ''fin de siècle'' generally refers to the years 1890 to 1914 in Europe. It has connotations of decadence which are seen as typical for the last years of a prosperous period (''La Belle Époque'' at the turn of the 20th century), and of anticipative excitement about — and/or despair facing — impending change which is generally expected when a century or time period draws to a close. In Russia, the term ''Silver Age'' is somewhat more popular.
That the expression is in French, probably comes from the fact that ''fin de siècle'' is particularly associated to certain late 19th-century French-speaking circles in Paris and Brussels, exemplified by artists like Stéphane Mallarmé, movements like Symbolism, and works of art like Oscar Wilde's ''Salomé'' (originally written in French, and premiered in Paris) — which connects the idea of ''fin de siècle'' also to the Aesthetic movement. Also, Edvard Munch spent some of his time in Paris around the turn-of-the-century, which was his most melancholy period.

Broader sense

In a broader sense the expression ''fin de siècle'' is used to characterise anything that has an ominous mixture of opulence and/or decadence, combined with a shared prospect of unavoidable radical change or some approaching "end."
Note that it is not necessarily change itself that is implied in the expression ''fin de siècle'', but rather its anticipation. For example, for the 19th-century ''fin de siècle'', the most radical changes to the cultural and social order occurred more than a decade after the new century had started (most notably as a result of World War I). The ''Belle Époque'' was not even at its height in 1900, nor had the Edwardian era (almost seamlessly following the Victorian era) even started.
A more recent example of ''fin de siècle'' can be found in the Y2K problem: the general turmoil caused by this in itself relatively insignificant technical issue becomes a lot more understandable when acknowledging an underlying ''fin de siècle'' mechanism. Many other 20th-century phenomena, e.g. New Age, could be interpreted as building on at least some ''fin de siècle'' ideas.

References

★ A reference text regarding the 19th century ''fin de siècle'' is Barbara Tuchman's ''The Proud Tower''.

★ Another reference text regarding the 19th century ''fin de siècle'' in Vienna is Carl Schorske's ''Fin-de-Siècle Vienna''.

★ The British progressive rock group Yes have a song called ''Turn of the Century'' on their 1977 album Going for the One.

★ The French rock group Noir Désir has a song called ''Fin de Siècle'' on their 666667 Club album.

★ Built between 1886 and 1914, the "''Belle Époque''" quarter in Bagnoles de l'Orne, France, is filled with superb villas that are typical of the "Fin de siècle" architecture.

★ The Divine Comedy (band) released an album in 1998 called ''Fin de Siècle''.

See also

★ Old Timeyness

External links

★ Occulture in the Fin de Siecle Ashe Journal Special on the Fin de Siecle.