In his illustration “The Toilet of Helen” Aubrey Beardsley makes use of immense and intricate detailing in order to play on victorian fears of fetish-worship and the power of objects. This same sort of fear can be observed in Arthur Machen’s The Three Impostors through the central and all consuming focus on the collection of antiques and objects. “Machen skillfully aligns the primitive practice of fetish-worship with the modern practice of collecting, [...]” (Forlini 489). This fear of the primitive aspects of fetish worship opposed by decadents further evidences the overarching Victorian concern with retrogression into a previous state. Beardsley satirizes this excessive overindulgence in his illustration highlighting these intangible fears.
Works Cited:
Beardsley, Aubrey. “The Toilet of Helen.” Under the Hill : And Other Essays in Prose and Verse, The Bodley Head, New York, NY, 1904, p. 14.
Forlini, Stefania. "Modern Narratives and Decadent Things in Arthur Machen's The Three Impostors." English Literature in Transition, 1880-1920, vol. 55 no. 4, 2012, p. 479-498. Project MUSE, Accessed 7 Dec. 2024.