In literary and artistic criticism, the decline that follows a time of great cultural achievement. It is typified by world-weariness, self-consciousness, and the search for new stimulation through artistic refinement and degenerate behavior. The term is used especially in connection with the fin-de-sičcle styles of the late 19th century (Symbolism, the Aesthetic Movement, and Art Nouveau). It has been applied to such artists and writers as Arthur Rimbaud, Oscar Wilde, and Aubrey Beardsley.