Warning: This book is not by a French author! Studies of Death by Count Eric Stenbock (pictured) was one of the first works of Decadence I purchased. I hadn’t yet become taken by the movement when I did. My motive was that Halloween was approaching, and I wanted to read ghost stories and tales of horror from 19th Century authors. As mentioned in my post about Where to Start, this slender collection of short stories is a wonderful entree into Decadent fiction. While only one of the stories satisfied my Halloween itch, the collection went a long way in hooking me on Decadent fiction. The first study of death is “Hylas”, an imagistic combination of homoeroticism and art appreciation with the gentle pacing of a reverie and ends with a singular image. “Narcissus” leverages its title myth symbolistically but takes a decided twist in its unfolding. Meanwhile, “The True Story of a Vampire” is fascinating not only as a gothic tale but as a pre- Dracula vampire story. The plots and narrati...