CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE ..................................................2
2. DISCUSSION .........................................................................................2
2.1. THE JOURNAL ..............................................................................2
2.2. CULTURAL CONTEXT ................................................................4
2.2.1. LATE VICTORIANS AND THE NEW ...................4
2.2.2. THE NEW WOMAN ................................................6
2.2.3. DECADENCE ...........................................................7
2.3. PUBLICATIONS ............................................................................8
2.3.1. AUTHORS .................................................................8
2.3.2. ARTISTS ...................................................................12
2.3.3. WORKS .....................................................................14
2.3.3.1. A ......................................................................17
2.4. END OF THE JOURNAL ...............................................................18
3. CONCLUSION .......................................................................................20
4. BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................21
2
1. INTRODUCTION AND OBJECT OF THIS STUDY:
This s udy will deal wi h a ious philological aspec s o The Yellow Book, a la e
nine een h-cen u y li e a y jou nal. Fi s o all, we will examine he di e en
cha ac e is ics o he jou nal, such as he ype o magazine i was, i s du a ion, p ice,
edi o s, edi o ial, and he momen s i wen h ough, and we will also explain he
in en ion o i s publica ion. Then, we will ocus on i s con ex , inqui ing in o he
di e en mo emen s o he pe iod which migh ha e been ela ed o he magazine, such
as Decadence, Aes he icism, Fin de Siècle, e c. Subsequen ly, we will conside he
con en o he jou nal, i s au ho s and con ibu o s as well as he publica ions. A e
ha , we will e lec upon he c i ique The Yellow Book ecei ed and he eade s'
esponse o i , and we will inish wi h a conclusion. This in o ma ion will be co e ed
wi h he pu pose o conside ing o wha ex en and in wha ways does he jou nal e lec
he spi i o he epoch?
Besides he analysis o he hi een olumes o he jou nal, he s udy is mainly
based on h ee wo ks o c i icism: The Yellow Book: A Cen ena y Exhibi ion, The New
Woman: Fic ion and Feminism a he Fin de Siècle and Women Who Did: S o ies by
Men and Women 1890 – 1914.
2. DISCUSSION
2.1. THE JOURNAL
As a s a ing poin o discussion, i would be in e es ing o begin wi h he
ollowing ques ion: wha was The Yellow Book? As men ioned abo e, The Yellow Book
was a qua e ly li e a y pe iodical o he nine een h cen u y ha las ed a ound h ee o
ou yea s. Mo e speci ically, i was ounded in 1894 and i s opped being published in
1897. The numbe o published olumes was hi een and he magazine wen h ough
di e en momen s be o e i s opped publica ion. The Yellow Book was no jus “any”
jou nal. Fi s o all, i was conside ed “ he mos impo an and no o ious B i ish
magazine o he 1890s” (S e z and Lasne 5). Fo his eason, we will also need o
con empla e he in en ion o he magazine in o de o unde s and wha i was. The ac
ha i became so popula was no by shee chance. The magazine i sel eached he
public wi h ins uc ions o he eade s as o he p ope way o ecei ing i . The Yellow
Book was launched wi h a po en message om he e y beginning abou how
3
comple ely new and o iginal i was. Wha was so new abou i ? The Yellow Book was
new in o m and con en :
The Yellow Book di e ed om o he pe iodicals in ha i was issued
clo hbound, made a s ic dis inc ion be ween he li e a y and a con en s (only
in one o wo ins ances we e hese connec ed), did no include se ial ic ion,
and con ained no ad e isemen excep publishe s' lis .
(Welcome o The Li e a u e Ne wo k!)
The jou nal desc ibed i sel as some hing “ esh, b illian , a ied, and di e ing,”
w i en by a “ ee hand” (S e z and Lasne 8). Thus, he ounde s o The Yellow Book
“delibe a ely ied i o he con empo a y su ge o in e es in book-collec ing, a pu sui
ha signi ied membe ship in a leisu ed and a is oc a ic sphe e.” (9). A he same ime,
ano he clea cha ac e is ic o The Yellow Book was how con o e sial i was. All hese
easons would ha e been enough o se a p ice o i e shillings pe copy.
The beginning o e e y hing was he summe o 1893, when a g oup o English-
speaking a is s, c i ics and hei amilies decided o mee oge he in F ance. Thei
connec ion was based on being in o “a an -ga de heo ies and s yles, including
imp essionism, ealism, na u alism, and symbolism, hough hei own p oduc ions
a ied widely in philosophy and me hod.” (13). They we e in e es ed in cul u e and a ,
and hey wan ed o become in luen ial. In his con ex he idea o The Yellow Book was
bo n. Acco ding o Hen y Ha land, he edi o o he jou nal, he momen o c ea ion
was 1 Janua y 1894, “when he and Aub ey Bea dsley sa oge he in a London d awing-
oom” (12). and planned he new publica ion.
I was launched in 1894. Du ing he publica ion o he i s numbe s, he
publishe s o he magazine we e Elkin Ma hews and John Lane. Howe e , la e , Lane
and Ma hews o mally dissol ed hei pa ne ship, ollowing Lane's in en ions, and
“The Yellow Book would go au oma ically o he new i m o 'John Lane, The Bodley
Head'.” (17). Thus, in he end, he edi o s o he magazine we e John Lane and Hen y
Ha land. F om his momen on, John Lane go majo con ol o he publishing i m.
One o he cha ac e is ics o he magazine was he ac ha i ied o con ol he
esponse o i wi h g ea cau ion. I paid special a en ion o e e y c i ique, which was
hen used o shape he u u e con ibu ions o The Yellow Book. One c i ique, w i en
anonymously, was i led “A Yellow Melancholy”. A e he publica ion o he c i ique,
The Bodley Head de ised a second P ospec us in answe o i . Thus, he answe “would
se e up con o e sy i sel as a selling poin ” (10). Howe e , despi e all he e o s o
he magazine in es ablishing i s own success, i only li ed o h ee yea s. Al hough The
4
Bodley Head ied o con ol he ecep ion o The Yellow Book, i could no con ol all
he na a i e a ound i . As Ma ga e D. S e z and Ma k Samuels Lasne commen :
By in la ing hei magazine o my hic p opo ions as “ he mos
in e es ing, unusual, and impo an publica ion o i s kind ha has e e been
unde aken” e en be o e i s elease, hey i ually gua an eed ha i would also
all p ey o he a e ha awai s objec s o my hic s a us- ha o becoming he
occasion o umo s, gossip, and misconcep ions. (11)
Ne e heless, his “in la ion” o he image o he jou nal, was no he only cause
o i s end. As we will commen in mo e de ail la e , he con o e sial igu e o Osca
Wilde and his a es played an essen ial ole in he s o y. The ela ion be ween The
Yellow Book and Osca Wilde was an impo an elemen ha lead he magazine o i s
end in 1897.
2.2. CULTURAL CONTEXT
2.2.1. La e Vic o ians and The New
The magazine appea ed in he las decade o he nine een h cen u y, a pe iod
which is now amously called in de siècle. This la e Vic o ian pe iod was a peculia
ime. The e we e wo di e en a i udes o be ound in B i ish socie y du ing his
his o ical momen . On he one hand, i was a pe iod o g ea ad ancemen in many
espec s: i was a ime o inc easing in luence o he B i ish Empi e, he e we e
imp o emen s in science and in es iga ion, he Indus ial Re olu ion was s ill going on,
he e we e ad ances in medicine and in echnology, and he e was a apid popula ion
g ow h. I was a ime o peace and p ospe i y in which a s ong sense o na ional
iden i y g ew in Vic o ian B i ain. All hese changes mean p og ess and hope.
Howe e , he e we e also hose who ocused on he dange s and he da k side o hose
changes. This is he so-called Fin de Siécle, a F ench e m which means “end o he
cen u y”, bu ha also emb aces he anxie ies o he momen in i s meaning. In he
second hal o he cen u y, many in ellec uals el bound o denounce he damage and
injus ices o Vic o ian socie y, and hey did i wi h a e y pessimis ic mood.
Ne e heless, his epoch canno be educed o a di ision be ween wo
pe spec i es. I was a momen o ansi ion be ween he Vic o ians and he mode ns. I
was a momen o change, whe e i is usual o ind di e en endencies be o e concep s
and ideals a e again ede ined. Fo his eason, as Angelique Richa dson commen s on
Women Who Did,
5
[ ]he in de siècle was an explosi e cock ail o endings, beginnings and
ansi ions, a ema kably dynamic ime in which aes he es, dandies and
decaden s ubbed shoulde s wi h social pu is s, a ional d esse s, s iking
ma ch-gi ls, smoking and cycling New Women – and ala med eac iona ies.
(xxxi)
O cou se, all he new endencies appea ing in he in de siècle a e going o be
clea ly e lec ed in a and li e a u e.
Bu , in o de o go in o hese ques ions in mo e dep h, we should ha e a be e
unde s anding o he Vic o ian pe iod. The la e nine een h cen u y could be conside ed
a kind o ime o ebellion agains wha had always been es ablished. New scien i ic
belie s had eme ged, like he heo y o e olu ion by Cha les Da win, ha changed he
way people hough abou hemsel es and hei in e ac ion wi h he wo ld a ound hem.
And his, o cou se, mean a g ea impac in ela ion o eligion, which was he belie
sys em ha de e mined he se o iews abou he di e en aspec s o li e and, he e o e,
wha condi ioned mos people´s daily li e. The e o e, apa om he new de elopmen s
in echnology o he Indus ial Re olu ion, i could be said ha mos o he changes ha
ook place in his pe iod we e changes in wo ld iews and in hough . Thus,
I he e is one anscending aspec o Vic o ian England li e and socie y,
ha aspec is change – o , mo e accu a ely, uphea al. E e y hing ha he
p e ious cen u ies had held as sac ed and indispu able u h came unde assaul
du ing he middle and la e pa s o he nine een h cen u y. (Welcome o The
Li e a u e Ne wo k!)
Fo example, an impo an cha ac e is ic o he ime was a change a ound mo al
issues. The Vic o ian pe iod was cha ac e ized by e y s ic mo al alues. In ac , he e
was such a s ic mo al code ha ou common pe cep ion o he pe iod is ha he
Vic o ians we e “p udish, hypoc i ical, s u y (and) na ow-minded” (Mu in 496). Fo
his eason, we ind w i e s idiculing his hypoc isy, and w i e s o e ing new ole
models.
How did The Yellow Book i in o his con ex ? We ha e seen e y clea ly ha he
jou nal was pa o his endency, in oducing i sel as some hing di e en and
comple ely new. The P ospec us o he magazine i sel announced ha i “would p o e
he mos in e es ing, unusual, and impo an publica ion o i s kind ha has e e been
unde aken” (S e z and Lasne 7). We can also ind nume ous a is s o he end o he
nine een h cen u y w i ing agains he spi i o hei ime. In his line o hough , in
con as o he adi ions and con en ions o he ime, we disco e ha e e y hing was

6
ede ined as “new”: New Women, New Jou nalism, New Li e a u e, Neo-paganism, A
no eau, e c.
2.2.2. The New Woman
P ecisely, he e is he appea ance o a new model o women, which is he so-
called “New Woman”. The New Woman was a new eminis ideal o he nine een h
cen u y as a esponse o a socie y domina ed by men. I was an ideal o womanhood in
opposi ion o he con en ional alues exis ing du ing he Vic o ian e a. The ideal o a
woman in e es ed in ma iage and child en was h ea ened by a new ideal o a ee,
independen and educa ed woman. The concep was coined by Sa ah G and, an I ish
eminis w i e in he a icle “The New No h Ame ican Re iew” (10). Howe e , “ he
New Woman o he in de siècle had a mul iple iden i y. She was, a iously, a eminis
ac i is , a social e o me ; she was also o en a ic ional cons uc , a discu si e esponse
o he ac i i ies o he la e nine een h-cen u y women´s mo emen .” (Richa dson and
Willis 9). In con as o his, “Du ing he Vic o ian pe iod men and women´s oles
became mo e sha ply de ined han a any ime in his o y”. (The B i ish Lib a y). The e
we e wo well di e en ia ed sphe es allo ed o each gende : he public sphe e allo ed
o men and he p i a e sphe e allo ed o women. This di ision was hough o ha e
been dic a ed by na u e, so i was some hing ha had o be kep ha way. Fo his
eason, schola s such as Robin Gilmou commen ha in Vic o ian li e a u e
The “poe ical ision” o ma iage was encou aged by he endings o
housands o no els, by highly popula books o wi ely ins uc ion (…).
Unde lying mos o hese wo ks is he assump ion ha men and women occupy
sepa a e bu complemen a y “sphe es”, which come oge he in ma iage o
comple e he lack in he o he . (Gilmou 189)
Going agains such s a e o a ai s, he i s wa es o eminism appea ed in he
nine een h and wen ie h cen u y, pa icula ly in ela ion o women´s su age, al hough,
e en ea lie , Ma y Wolls onec a had al eady published one o he ea lies eminis
wo ks in he English-speaking wo ld, Vindica ion o he Righ s o Women (1792), whe e
she de ended mo e equali y be ween men and women, s a ing ha women we e also
human beings. So, in spi e o he ac ha he concep o he New Woman seems o
appea as a new no ion o ideal o womanhood and as some hing opposed o he
con en ions exis ing un il ha ime, i may no be conside ed so e olu iona y a e all.
7
The concep o he New Woman was some hing qui e con o e sial bu , a he
same ime, as Angelique Richa dson and Ch is Willis commen in hei book:
I is impo an no o impose la e wen ie h-cen u y eminis agendas
upon conside a ions o he nine een h cen u y Woman Ques ion. Vic o ian
eminism is no a simple s o y o a adical b eak wi h adi ion. Fo example,
e en by he in de siècle, many New Women wan ed o achie e social and
poli ical powe by ein en ing a he han ejec ing hei domes ic ole.
(Richa dson and Willis 9)
In he same manne , Sally Ledge commen s on he di e en ways o
unde s anding he New Woman. As she explains, he e we e wo ypes o New Woman
ela ed o wo di e en gene a ions: he i s one belonging o he 1880s and 1890s and
he second one o he 1920s and 1930s. Howe e , she de ends ha , oge he wi h he
new socialism, he new impe ialism, he new ic ion and he new jou nalism, he New
Woman was “pa o ha conca ena ion o cul u al no el ies which mani es ed i sel in
he 1880s and 1890s” and, he e o e, i “has been a he mo e loosely applied o p o o-
eminis s in li e a u e” (Ledge 1). In o he wo ds, we can see h ough li e a u e ha
al hough we ind mo e han one new model o women, he concep o “New Woman”
was associa ed o some hing e olu iona y, a he han being a mino ede ini ion o he
adi ional ole.
All in all, he ideal o New Woman was one o he new concep ions appea ing in
he Vic o ian pe iod as pa o he nume ous changes o he nine een h cen u y. Thus,
many au ho s and a is s deal wi h his ideal o New Woman. Among hem we e Oli e
Sch eine , Sa ah G and, Mona Cai d, Geo ge Ege on, Geo ge Gissing and Thomas
Ha dy. As we will see la e , we ind hese au ho s publishing in The Yellow Book.
2.2.3. Decadence
A he same ime, he New Women we e conside ed daugh e s o Decadence. As
Sally Ledge s a es, “al hough ideologically hey had su p isingly li le in common (…),
he New Women and he decaden s o he in de siècle we e epea edly lumped oge he
in he lou ishing pe iodical p ess o he 1890s” (94). The Decaden mo emen is an
a is ic and li e a y mo emen ha lou ished in F ance and sp ead h ough Wes e n
Eu ope and he Uni ed S a es in he nine een h cen u y. “Decaden w i e s used
elabo a e, s ylized language o discuss aboo and o en unsa ou y opics, such as dea h,
dep ession, and de ian sexuali ies” (WiseGeek). The name Decaden s a ed as a
de oga o y e m used by c i ics: “F ench li e a y c i ics in he 19 h cen u y used he e m
8
o dismiss w i e s who hey el we e unimpo an (…), bu some w i e s emb aced he
e m and began iden i ying hei own wo k as Decaden , aking ide in hei opposi ion
o e e yday mo ali y and mo es” (WiseGeek). In ela ion o some o hese Decaden
w i e s, he edi o s o he Encyclopedia B i annica le us know ha “In England he
Decaden s we e 1890s igu es such as A hu Symons (" he blond angel”), Osca Wilde,
E nes Dowson, and Lionel Johnson, who we e membe s o he Rhyme s´ Club o
con ibu o s o The Yellow Book.” (WiseGeek)
Fu he mo e, he Decaden mo emen is also usually associa ed o Aes he icism.
The edi o s o Encyclopedia B i annica e e o bo h g oups oge he , s a ing ha hey
“aspi ed o se li e a u e and a ee om he ma e ialis ic p eoccupa ions o
indus ialized socie y, and, in bo h, he eedom o some membe s' mo als helped o
enla ge he conno a ion o he e m, which is almos equi alen o in de siécle”
(Encyclopedia B i annica). Aes he es se an opposi ion be ween a and li e. They
emphasized aes he ic alues o e social-poli ical ques ions in a , including li e a u e.
The amous slogan o aes he icism is “a o a 's sake”. I g ew as a eac ion agains
u ili a ianism and he s ic mo al alues o Vic o ian socie y. Howe e , “ he Decaden
mo emen unde wen a p ocess o e inemen which de eloped un il i inally oppled
in o he absu d, he dis as e ul and he u ile” (CLIL Me hodology). “Aes he icism and
a i iciali y, o Decaden s go hand in hand” (Paul Fox 152). Osca Wilde is conside ed
he mos ep esen a i e a is o his mo emen . He claimed “ ha li e imi a es a a he
han he o he way a ound. (…) Wilde, among o he s, “pe o med” hese maxims" (The
B i ish Lib a y). He was amous o d essing elegan ly, like a dandy, and o exhibi ing
as e and sensi i i y, like he a is ha he was. Osca Wilde was no a con ibu o o
The Yellow Book; howe e , he was going o play an impo an ole in i s de elopmen .
Wha was he ela ionship be ween hese wo mo emen s and he New Women? I
was a wo ld domina ed by men, who saw women “no only as he oines o d ama, bu
also as compe i o s in he ma ke place, [since] women we e a majo p esence in he
new li e a y wo ld o he 1880s and 1890s. They we e w i ing wi h unp eceden ed
candou abou emale sexuali y, ma i al discon en , and hei own aes he ic heo ies and
aspi a ions”. (Showal e iii)
In his con ex The Yellow Book was bo n. Le us hen “open” he jou nal and see
wha we can ind in i s pages abou all his.
9
2.3. PUBLICATIONS
2.3.1. Au ho s
This pa will deal i s wi h he au ho s and secondly wi h hei wo ks in he
Yellow Book. The olumes open wi h a able o con en s whe e he e is a lis wi h he
names o he con ibu o s di ided in o wo sec ions: he sec ion “Le e p ess” and he
sec ion “Pic u es” in he i s olume, and he sec ions “Li e a u e” and “A ” in he es
o olumes. Howe e , we only ind his sepa a ion in he able o con en s. The di e en
wo ks a e mixed wi hin he jou nal. We will be showing his sepa a ion as well in he
ables below, o a be e inden i ica ion o he a is s.
The numbe o w i e s and a is s ha con ibu ed o he magazine is
app oxima ely 200. Howe e , no all o hem had he same deg ee o pa icipa ion.
The e a e a ew who had a la ge numbe o con ibu ions, as opposed o he g ea
majo i y who had jus one publica ion in he magazine: “Though The Yellow Book was a
coope a i e en e p ise, i was by no means a democ a ic one” (S e z and Lasne 22). The
numbe o con ibu ions om each a is was ela ed o being o no a membe o he
Bodley Head lis , and so we e he ees: “The ees paid o au ho s and a is s o hei
wo k a ied conside ably, de e mined by how much p es ige hei names would lend an
issue" (22).
In he li e a u e sec ion, we ind 97 au ho s, o which only a ound 25 a e emale
w i e s. The numbe may a y because we mus ake in o accoun he possible
pseudonyms used by hese, which many imes imply a change o gende .
The ollowing is a able wi h he di e en w i e s and hei pa icipa ion in he
Yellow Book in he li e a u e sec ion. Because i is no possible o ge he whole
in o ma ion abou he pseudonyms he w i e s o he jou nal used, he able s ic ly
complies wi h he names appea ing in he ac ual publica ions o he magazine.
Con ibu ions
(li e a u e sec ion)
Au ho s
13 Hen y Ha land
12
11
10 Ella D´A cy
9 LL.D
16
called A Los Mas e piece and The Cap ain´s Book in he second and six h olume o
The Yellow Book. Howe e , hese s o ies in The Yellow Book we e no as success ul,
and in he case o A Los Mas e piece he eason could be ha i is no old by a emale
na a o , o a leas no by a clea emale na a o . Melissa Pu due and S acey Floyd
commen on his ambigui y and ela e i o he ques ion o gende a ha poin in B i ish
li e a y and cul u al his o y:
Ege on’s ex ac ually in i es us o ead i s na a o as, i no necessa ily
ac ually male, a leas highly masculinized, and he way in which his
masculinized igu e a icula es he expe ience o inspi a ion, as well as he
expe ience o losing a li e a y idea, p esen s an in iguing explo a ion o he
gende anxie y a ound masculine li e a y au ho i y in he 1890s. (2)
Male no elis s o he ime used o sa i ise women w i e s in ela ion o hei wo k,
and his ype o message ecei ed many answe s in e u n. Elaine Showal e commen s
on one “in e ac ion” be ween Ve non Lee and Hen y James. Ve non Lee, whose eal
name was Viole Page , dedica ed he i s no el Miss B own o Hen y James. In his
wo k Page w i es a sa i e o he aes he ic mo emen , o which James w o e back ha
she ook he aes he ic mo emen oo se iously and wi h oo much implica ion o sexual
mo i es (Showal e x ). Thus, we can ind an in e es ing dialogue be ween men and
women h ough li e a u e and a ; and magazines such as The Yellow Book became a
ool o ca y ou such deba es which could also be showed o he wo ld:
The i s ew numbe s o he Yellow Book con i med he assump ion ha
s udying and explaining “Woman” om a masculine poin o iew would be a
hallma k o he new. (…). Bu by he ime o he Yellow Book´s inal issue in
Ap il 1897, i was clea ha he one-sided lec u e on he subjec o women had
become a dialogue, in which emale a is s and au ho s spoke eely and
pa icipa ed in nea ly equal numbe s, changing he quali y o he con e sa ion
abou gende oles in a and in li e. (S e z and Lasne 44).
Besides, pa o wha he New Woman w i e s we e challenging in ha pe iod was
emale sexuali y. Sexual con en was ano he elemen o he newness The Yellow Book
sold. Sexuali y was ano he boiling heme o he pe iod due o he impo ance o
mo ali y in he nine een h cen u y. Fo example, since he Con agious Diseases Ac in
1869, e e y woman suspec ed o being a p os i u e was p osecu ed, and a Na ional
Vigilance Associa ion was o med o comba po nog aphy. Besides, biological
a gumen s s a ed o be used in o de o se ules: "The social pu i y campaigns which
had se ou o challenge he idea o he male sexual u ge as a biological ac now began

17
o p i ilege na u e o e nu u e, a guing ha men we e essen ially sexually eckless
while (un allen) women we e inna ely mo al" (Richa dson 8).
Thus, one o he hings eminis s we e going o do was o ans o m once again
he social a gumen . Fo example, Geo ge Ege on was seen as one o he mos
sexually-cha ged o he New Women w i e s. She p omo ed sexual igh s o women
and pushed eade s in o emb acing hei sexuali y. Fo ins ance, Disco ds, he second
collec ion o sho s o ies, deals wi h mo he hood and women´s sexuali y. W i e s such
as Ege on claimed ha women's sexuali y had no longe o ollow Vic o ian pa ia chy,
so women could ind sexuali y ou o ma iage. She claimed ha hey could “begin o
ela e o (…) o he women in e ms o coope a ion and mu uali y” (Nine een h-Cen u y
Gende S udies).
The e o e, he heme o sexuali y was no a ques ion me ely belonging o women
and hei indica ions; i also conce ned men due o he ques ion o homosexuali y.
P i a e male homosexual ac s we e conside ed a c iminal o ence, some hing ha led
Osca Wilde o p ison. In his sense, “ easons o he eme gence o a dis inc ly gay
subcul u e wi hin 1890s' Decadence mo emen include he p omo ion o (…) Pla onic
ela ionships” (Vic o ia and Albe Museum). Aub ey Bea dsley and his d awings we e
associa ed o homosexuali y, e oking he a mosphe e o he momen . Thus, se e al
con ibu o s o The Yellow Book included lesbian o bisexual women such as “Ve non
Lee” (Viole Page ), Oli e Cus ance o Cha lo e Mew, as well as homosexual men such
as A. C. Benson, Lau ence Housman, “Ba on Co o” (F ede eick Rol e) o Reginald
Tu ne .
2.3.3.1. A
When i comes o he sec ion o Pic u es, we can see a clea dis inc ion be ween
he li e a y and a con en . In de ence o aes he ic alues, Ha land and Bea dsley we e
opposed o he idea o ha ing he ex s and images as complemen a y wo ks o a . In
he P ospec us we can see ha “…`The Pic u es will in no case se e as illus a ions o
he le e -p ess, bu each will s and by i sel as an independen con ibu ion´, as hough
o con inue he adi ion o he illus a ed s o y would be o commi a c ime agains A ”
(S e z and Lasne 8).
This aspec is comple ely ela ed o he a is ic mo emen s The Yellow Book
ollowed in he sec ion o Pic u es: A Nou eau and he A s and C a s mo emen . I is
conside ed ha he o me mo emen is oo ed in he la e . A Nou eau was a
philosophical mo emen and a s yle o a ha became ashionable in he 1890s, aking
18
i s name om he F ench mo emen . I ejec s u ili a ianism and de ends ha objec s do
no ha e o be u ili a ian in o de o be beau i ul. The A s and C a s mo emen was
bo n in he second hal o he nine een h cen u y and is associa ed o William Mo is.
This mo emen is mainly conce ned wi h deco a i e a . As well as A Nou eau, he
A s and C a s mo emen de ended he idea ha a should be a o dable o e e yone.
I was conside ed an an i-indus ial mo emen : wi hin his mo emen , a is s we e
“uni ed by a common se o aes he ics, ha sough o easse he impo ance o design
and c a smanship in all he a s in he ace o inc easing indus ializa ion, which hey
el was sac i icing quali y in he pu sui o quan i y” (Visual A s Encyclopedia).
The common deco a i e elemen s o A Nou eau usually include “lea and
end il mo i s, in e wined o ganic o ms, mos ly cu aceous in shape” and i is ypical
o see “la ish bi ds, lowe s, insec s and o he zoomo phs, as well as he hai and
cu aceous bodies o beau i ul women”. (Visual A s Encyclopedia ). To conclude, we
can see nex wo images by Ayme Balance and Aub ey Bea dsley as an example o his
ype o wo k o a published in The Yellow Book:
(Fig. 1. Balance, Fo he Backs
o Playing Ca ds, Volume II)
(Fig. 2. Bea dsley, The Mys e ious Rose
Ga den, Volume IV)
2.4. END OF THE JOURNAL
One o he easons why he di ec ion o The Yellow Book s a ed o change om
being a popula publica ion o passing almos unno iced is he message he jou nal i sel
19
publicized when i i s came ou . The magazine migh ha e had good ma ke ing
s a egies o achie e success in he beginning, “bu by 1896-97, i s newness was,
pa adoxically, u ning in o a ma e o con en ion; inc easingly, he e we e iden i iable
(and e en p edic ible) “ ypes” o Yellow Book d awings, poems, and, especially, s o ies”
(S e z and Lasne 39). In his sense, we could say ha i s decline was ine i able.
Howe e , his was no he only eason why he magazine´s epu a ion s a ed o
al e . The si ua ion was global. Aub ey Bea dsley was i ed a e he ou h olume and
among he a is s he e was he no ion ha “in losing i s i s edi o , The Yellow Book
immedia ely los all c ea i e ene gy” (34). Bu wha seemed o be mo e no o ious was a
scandalous e en which, appa en ly, was ela ed o he magazine: Osca Wilde´s a es .
He was a es ed because o homosexual conduc , acco ding o he 1885 C iminal Law
Amendmen Ac . Osca Wilde did no con ibu e any wo k o The Yellow Book, bu he
was connec ed enough o he magazine. Fi s o all, his name was alphabe ically he
“las name” in he Bodley Head´s lis o Books in BELLES LETTRES (31), which is he
eason why Aub ey Bea dsley decided o publish an illus a ion o Osca Wilde's
Salomé. As Sally Ledge s a es in an a icle published in English Li e a u e in
T ansi ion (1880-1920), he cen e o he con en o The Yellow Book we e New Women
and aes he ic women, as well as male aes he es and decaden s (5-26), and Osca Wilde
was known o his aes he ic philosophy. He was he decaden pa excellence. Mo eo e ,
he New Woman and he decaden we e also equen ly linked, bu his link was an
uneasy one. The s o ies New Women w i e s published in The Yellow Book we e seen
as Decaden publica ions. Fo example, “ he New Women w i e s we e h ea ening
daugh e s o decadence. [Socie y] saw connec ions be ween New Women and decaden
men, as membe s o an a an ga de a acking ma ige and ep oduc ion.” (Showal e ix).
Besides, he e was no only his connec ion be ween New Women and decaden s,
bu also a connec ion be ween decadence and disease. In he in de siécle, he aim o
posi i e science was o ind a diagnosis o decadence. This diagnosis poin ed ou wo
sides o he disease: one mo al and he o he one physical. Fo example, among he
symp oms ela ed o mo ali y, hey poin ed ou “apa hy, loss o mo al sense, equen
endencies o doub ,” and among he physical ones “p ominen ea s, de iciency o
bea d, i egula i y o ee h o excessi e asymme y o ace and head” (Be nheime and
Kline). Thus, he au ho s o The Yellow Book seemed o wo y abou he link be ween
Osca Wilde´s a es and he magazine:
Allegedly a he cen e o his all-male, London-based en e p ise was
Osca Wilde, who b ough in Aub ey Bea dsley o ill he magazine´s pages
20
wi h semi-po nog aphic, black-and-whi e d awings o nudes. A e Osca
Wilde´s a es (…), Aub ey Bea dsley decided ha i was sa e o abandon his
highly isible symbol o pe e si y. (S e z and Lasne 12)
And o op i all, John Lane, shocked by he new pos e s appea ing in New Yo k
bea ing he wo ds “ARREST OF OSCAR WILDE. Yellow Book unde his a m,”
decided o i e Bea dsley immedia ely. “Al hough he book in ques ion appea s o ha e
been a yellow-bound copy o he no el Aph odi e by Pie e Louÿs, his episode
solidi ied he link, in he public imagina ion, be ween he disg aced au ho and he
magazine” (32).
All his led o he close-down o he magazine in Ap il 1897.
3. CONCLUSION:
As we ha e seen, The Yellow Book was a jou nal bo n in he nine een h cen u y
ha las ed h ee yea s. I was conside ed by some he mos impo an magazine o he
1890s. I was new in o m and con en , polemical, and i desc ibed i sel as some hing
comple ely new and wo hy. The jou nal was c ea ed by a g oup o English-speaking
a is s who we e in e es ed in cul u e and a , wi h he in en ion o becoming in luen ial.
I came ou in he las decade o he nine een h cen u y, he so-called in de siècle,
which was a momen o big changes and ans o ma ions. I was also a ime in which we
ind wo di e en heo e ical iews o wha he changes o he pe iod mean , and bo h
a ied and in e ac ed in many di e en ways. In o he wo ds, we ind many dis inc
mo emen s wi h di e se ideas abou he old and he new. In his con ex The Yellow
Book appea s, clea ly ep esen ing pa o he newness, desc ibing i sel as some hing
esh and a ied. Despi e he ac ha he au ho s ha pa icipa ed in he magazine we e
ela ed o he membe ship o he Bodley Head, in hei con ibu ions we ind di e si y
o ideas, pe spec i es and messages. I e lec s in a ious ways adi ional iews, as was
a male iew and concep ion o women, and also inco po a es he no el ies o he ime,
as was he emale iew o women hemsel es in esponse. Fu he mo e, i showed as
well he mix u e o mo emen s and g owing ends o he epoch, such as A No eau,
Decaden ism, New Women, A s and C a s and Aes he icism, ollowing he amalgam
he end o he nine een h cen u y was.
We ha e u he seen ha in o de o main ain i s newness, The Yellow Book had
o be open o e e y mo emen ha eme ged in ha ime. I paid special a en ion o
21
e e y c i ique, which was hen used o shape u u e con ibu ions, aking ad an age o
hese and hus becoming a polemical jou nal.
As a conclusion, i was a magazine ha was open o new ends and lis ened o he
changes o he ime, o e ing i s pages o di e en oices. The e o e, The Yellow Book
did no jus p esen he di e en mo emen s, he iews and he changes o he epoch,
bu was also a mee ing poin o all o hem, becoming a jou nal which p omo ed a
space o dialogue and eedom.

22
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