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Why does everything feel so joyless? Welcome to the age of decadence without pleasure

Abstract:: Decadence in our era comes in technologically mediated forms, emptied of desire and obsessed with self-optimisation.

Publication status:: Published

Peer review status:: Reviewed (other)

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APA Style

Mendelssohn, M., & Tyson, C. (2026). Why does everything feel so joyless? Welcome to the age of decadence without pleasure. The Guardian.

MLA Style

Mendelssohn, M, and C Tyson. Why Does Everything Feel so Joyless? Welcome to the Age of Decadence without Pleasure. The Guardian, 2026.

Chicago Style

Mendelssohn, M, and C Tyson. 2026. Why Does Everything Feel so Joyless? Welcome to the Age of Decadence without Pleasure. The Guardian.
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Files:: Mendelssohn_and_Tyson_2026_Why_does_everything.pdf

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Publication website:: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/jul/26/age-of-decadence-pleasure-ai

Authors

+ Mendelssohn, M More by this author

Institution:: University of Oxford
Division:: HUMS
Department:: English
Oxford college:: Mansfield College
Role:: Author
ORCID:: 0000-0003-0487-5536

+ Tyson, C More by this author

Role:: Author

Publisher:: The Guardian
Publication date:: 2026-07-26

Language:: English
Keywords:: decadent literature

beauty

AI

artificial intelligence

art

French literature

English literature

society

feature essay
Pubs id:: 2455484
Local pid:: pubs:2455484
Deposit date:: 2026-09-09
ARK identifier:: ark:/29072/ora_e169dc1d628743f4a115720bf80ff7be

Terms of use

Copyright holder:: Guardian News & Media Limited
Copyright date:: 2026
Rights statement:: © 2026 Guardian News & Media Limited.

Licence:: Terms and Conditions of Use for Oxford University Research Archive

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