Beauty and death in Fin de Siecle literature

The purpose of this thesis is to clarify the reasons of the emergence of the concepts Beauty and Death associated with Fin de Siècle Literature especially within the scope of Western Culture. In this context; the beauty strategies, that the patriarchal Western Culture through its contradiction with nature and search for superiority hold on to as an alternative way against death which is the most central factor in nature, were analyzed. In the first chapter, we tried to show with the help of mythology and psychoanalysis, alongside various cultural theories that the dynamism of nature and its being a power above all cultural phenomenons emerged against it are the main reasons of these beauty strategies. So that the concepts of Beauty and Death associated with Fin de Siècle Literature to be understood better, we tried to show how these phenomenons express themselves on the motives of Puer Aeternus and Hermetic Topografies mentioning the extensive paradigm change occured during this period and cultural, political and scientific events those are on the basis of this change. In addition, we discussed through the dichotomy between Eros and Logos how the all sorts of logocentric notion and beauty strategy that the patriarchal order hold on to against Death as an alternative way is obliged to be atomized under the tyranny of nature. In the second chapter, with references to the similar mythological examples, we clarified how this dichotomy expresses itself on the conflict between Aphrodite and Artemis which is a literature historical archetype and Euripides' Hippolytos. The final chapter of our thesis is about the analysis of how the mentioned dynamics associated with Fin de Siècle reflect themselves on the literary works The Great God Pan, The Tale of 672nd Night and Maitre Mussard's Bequest. The importance of our thesis is to enlighten a central mechanism associated with Western Culture through Fin de Siècle dynamics.