02647cam a22003013u 450000100060000000300070000600500170001300600020003000700050003200800410003704000110007804100170008905000070010610000340011324502000014726400510034730000470039833600260044533700260047133800360049750000310053350801980056452014660076253400450222865300120227385600430228599900170232841490UtSlPG20260610133940.0mcr n260607r2012||||utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d  aUtSlPG 7aen2iso639-1 4aPS1 aCram, Ralph Adams,d1863-194214aThe Decadent: Being the Gospel of Inaction :bWherein Are Set Forth in Romance Form Certain Reflections Touching the Curious Characteristics of These Ultimate Years, and the Divers Causes Thereof 1aSalt Lake City, UT :bProject Gutenberg,c2012  a1 online resource :bmultiple file formats  atextbtxt2rdacontent  acomputerbc2rdamedia  aonline resourcebcr2rdacarrier  aRelease date is 2012-11-26  aProduced by Demian Katz and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (Images courtesy
of the Digital Library@Villanova University
(http://digital.library.villanova.edu/))  a"The Decadent: Being the Gospel of Inaction" by Ralph Adams Cram is a philosophical narrative written in the early 1890s. This work is crafted as a novel and reflects on the themes of social action versus inaction, exploring the implications and motivations that underlie societal change during what is presented as an era of decay and decadence. The book delves into the contrasting beliefs of its characters, particularly focusing on the protagonist, Malcolm McCann, and his former pupil, Aurelian Blake, highlighting the tensions between revolutionary zeal and a desire to retreat into a life of art and contemplation.  The story unfolds as Malcolm McCann arrives at Vita Nuova, Aurelian's luxurious estate, where he finds his former pupil seemingly lost in a life of opulence and pleasure, in stark contrast to the revolutionary ideals he once held. Throughout their conversations, McCann, fueled by a passion for social justice, attempts to reawaken Aurelian’s commitment to the socialist cause, while Aurelian advocates for a retreat from the chaos of the world, arguing that true art and individualism can only thrive in a place separate from societal strife. The narrative ultimately presents a profound philosophical struggle, capturing the conflict between action and inaction in a world perceived to be in decline, leading to a poignant conclusion about the nature of life, art, and societal evolution. (This is an automatically generated summary.)  nOriginal publication data not identified  aFiction40uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/41490  c82329d82329