{"id":168757,"date":"2025-02-07T12:38:25","date_gmt":"2025-02-07T11:38:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/centmagazine.co.uk\/?p=168757"},"modified":"2025-02-07T12:38:25","modified_gmt":"2025-02-07T11:38:25","slug":"the-irresistible-dandy-in-the-written-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.centmagazine.co.uk\/?p=168757","title":{"rendered":"The Irresistible Dandy in the Written World."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Dandy, that man about town, with his debonair looks and attitude, may well have arisen in the 18th century but he is still present today. In real life, the most famous being the British social climber and all-around handsome man about town, Beau Brummell. Known for their enticing aura, the air around a Dandy was and is, filled with intrigue. So it’s no wonder that writers have been so enthralled by them too. Dandy can be defined in a variety of different ways, whether that’s in place of the word excellent or being used to describe a man (typically) who is concerned with being fashionable and looking stylish. Dandyism can be seen throughout European literature, since its birth in the 18th century. But really, dandyism was always a bit more English than anything else. Find out more in The Irresistible Dandy in the Written World<\/em>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting out of criticism for the bourgeois culture that was clear in France and England, especially London and Paris, in the late 18th<\/sup> and early 19th<\/sup> centuries. A man can become a dandy for lots of different reasons, whether that’s from the need to make a political statement or asserting your individuality, being a dandy meant your stylishness, intelligence, and social status were being worn on your sleeves.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A dandy, in its barest form, is a man who thinks physical appearance is important. So, a man preferring to wear outfits that would be considered stylish to certain more aristocratic circles of society, especially if those outfits are made bespoke by tailors and shoemakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dandy’s also have a specific way of speaking, think of any main male characters in Oscar Wilde\u2019s plays, in the effort to try and emulate aristocracy. The language these men would use had to be refined, reflecting their sophistication through being able to articulate.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the most infamous dandies to walk the earth during the 19th<\/sup> century as mentioned, was Beau Brummell, seen as a fashion pioneer for his choice of clothes, bringing his own twist to the dark coats and full-length trousers that were in style at the time. Brummell was often described as being one of the first real male fashion icons, having inspired countless characters, plays and films. His influence on regency-era men\u2019s fashion is notable even to this day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On top of his attire was the simple fact he aspired to be seen as coming from the highest echelons of the British Social Structure, not born into aristocracy but he behaved as though he was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Literature in 18th and 19th century Europe helped forever immortalise the Dandy as a character in literature, plays, and films. The dandy figure has long held a place of fascination in both literature and society, standing for a deliberate construction of identity centred around style, sophistication, and individualism.\u00a0Pelham: Or the Adventures of a Gentleman<\/a> by Lord Edward Bulwer-Lytton<\/strong> is often thought of as being the first piece of literature to feature a real, authentic dandy character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dandy archetype was so influential that the character type can still be seen in modern literature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A notorious one being playwright Oscar Wilde. Although a lot of his dandy characters are based in satire and criticism, there is no doubt that some of Wilde\u2019s most flamboyant characters are true, authentic dandies.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wilde\u2019s writing usually explored themes about identity, social constraints, and the hypocrisy of the upper class, making for some interesting characters and stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The picture of Dorian Gray<\/a><\/strong> has a variety of different Dandy characters. The most notable Dandy in the story is, of course, Dorian Gray. The character of Dorian Gray focuses on an almost narcissistic obsession with his own appearance and newfound lust for pleasure and indulgence.  <\/p>\n\n\n

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The Picture of Dorian Gray follows a young, innocent yet extremely handsome man named Dorian Gray<\/strong>, who astonishes a society painter, Lord Henry Wotton, that the artist insists on painting his portrait. Dorian’s behaviour becomes corrupted by the society he now moves in and the portrait becomes older and uglier as time goes on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, this handsome Dorian stays looking young and unchanged even though the same could not be said for the portrait. As Dorian descends into a life of excess and vice, he becomes increasingly consumed by guilt and corruption, and rather than his appearance changing the painting does, ultimately leading to his tragic downfall when he confronts the true nature of his portrait. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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