Sidney Sime’s “Snide” was an illustration created for Sime’s 1923 book, Bogey Beasts, which depicted a variety of strange creatures. The image contains a strange creature standing on its four legs, over a pile of riches such as coins, gems and jewelry. This can be attributed to the act of collecting which was common within the decadent period. The human desire for greed and collection is evident through this dehumanized creature which showcases human traits in non-human things and the fear of evolutionary regression. This shows the significance of objects within decadent writing as “The fetish is not merely reflecting back the beliefs of its worshippers, it is transforming them” (Dant 499). The mystical powers of objects play a larger role within the narrative and contribute to the transformations of characters and motives.
Works Cited
Dant, Tim. “Fetishism and the Social Value of Objects.” Sociological Review, vol. 44, no. 3, 1996, pp. 495–516, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-954X.1996.tb00434.x.
Sime, Sidney. “Snide.” Bogey Beasts. Goodwin & Tabb, 1923, pp 38.