Decadent

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Antonia

#97436 Sun, 08 May 05 09:11 PM

Hello everybody!
How can the taste of a dessert (chocolate cake) be decadent? What does it mean?
Thanks

Antonia

Joined on Fri, Mar 11 2005

Contributing Member (1,266)

MrPedantic

#97466 Sun, 08 May 05 11:33 PM

Hello Antonia

It means 'so luxurious, it's reminiscent of the foodstuffs you would normally associate with a decadent era'.

Oatcakes and mineral water: Spartan. Lark's tongues in aspic: decadent.

MrP

MrPedantic

Joined on Tue, Oct 12 2004

Veteran Member (12,047)

...opella forensis / adducit febris...

Antonia

#97473 Mon, 09 May 05 12:06 AM

I get the mental picture, thanks

Antonia

LanguageLover

#97735 Mon, 09 May 05 05:45 PM

But here it means "fall", isn't it?
Fine chocolate is divine, but a forklift full of Raspberry Goddess Fudge Truffles is death by decadence.

LanguageLover

Joined on Fri, Feb 25 2005

A proud Iranian living in the UAE

Contributing Member (1,393)

The similarities among the languages are more than their differences!

Antonia

#97807 Tue, 10 May 05 12:13 AM

'' Almonds and bittersweet chocolate provide a rich, decadent taste in every bite.''
?

Antonia

MrPedantic

#97813 Tue, 10 May 05 12:26 AM

Hello LL

I think 'decadence' could only mean 'fall' in the metaphorical sense of a 'falling away'. That's the metaphor behind the use of 'decadence' as a description of the state of a society: it has 'fallen away' from its previous (high) standards.

MrP

MrPedantic

Metaphors

LanguageLover

#97891 Tue, 10 May 05 06:49 AM

Thanks Mr. P,
Though your explenation is clear, I can't still figure out the meaning of "death by decadence" and the following examples taken from the Cobuild dictionary. (You know, I'm a bit slow ....)
I think the first sentence implies the murderers killed for pleasure. Right? Does the second mean that the play referre to the decadence and atomosphere af the society in a sarcastic way(at least to Nazis',.. eyes)? And the last just means the explanation you gave to Antonia, so loxurious and excelent?

1. The character of Camilla, most of all, exposes Richard's naive idealisation as being that of the author: the murders are merely the height of decadence, the essentially glamorous deeds at the heart of it all.
2. Following Orson Welles's 1962 film of Kafka's enigmatic classic-which, in its day, upset the Nazis and the Communists so much that they banned it-this version, scripted by Harold Pinter, is a sinister satire that reaches near operatic heights of drama and elegance, decadence and atmosphere.
3. Indulge in Strawberry Champagne Decadence, Raspberry Chardonnay Fudge, and Mr.

Cheers,

LanguageLover

abbie1948

#98024 Tue, 10 May 05 02:02 PM

"characterized by or appealing to self-indulgence" (websters)

Showing a puritanical streak, Mr P.? You need to eat more Raspberry Goddess Fudge Truffles Stick out tongue [:P]

abbie1948

Joined on Thu, Mar 24 2005

England

Senior Member (2,657)

Hope that helps. Abbie

MrPedantic

#98141 Tue, 10 May 05 11:38 PM

Hello LL

"Death by decadence" – this would be a whimsical use of the term, i.e. 'Death by over-indulgence', 'death by overluxuriousness'.

1. That's right; some might say that a characteristic of Roman 'decadence', for instance, was indulgence in cruelty for the sake of entertainment.

2. Here I think 'decadence' is used to suggest that the film has a certain atmosphere; presumably it relates to a version of Kafka's Trial. It's difficult to tell what that atmosphere might be, without more context (or seeing the film); it could be a '1930s Berlin' kind of 'decadence', for instance, or perhaps something similar to what we find in 1940s film noir (Double Indemnity, The Big Sleep, etc).

3. I think so, yes: it's presented as a rich and luxurious product.

MrP

MrPedantic

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