A New Woman Dialogue with Aestheticism and Decadence: Netta Syrett's Short Stories for The Yellow Book.

This article examines the critically neglected short stories by Netta Syrett (1865–1943) published in the 1890s periodical The Yellow Book, focusing on her engagement with the male-dominated aestheticism and decadence movements through a New Woman feminist lens. It analyzes Syrett’s stories "A Correspondence" (1895) and "Far Above Rubies" (1897), highlighting how she uses the tropes and discourses of these movements—such as classical mythology, aestheticized interiors, and the femme fatale figure—to critique their objectification and marginalization of women. Syrett’s work reveals her evolving authorial voice that both participates in and challenges elitist, masculinist cultural traditions, thereby contributing to fin-de-siècle debates on gender, art, and feminism. The article situates Syrett alongside contemporaries like Vernon Lee and Ada Leverson, emphasizing her role in fostering a feminist counter-discourse within and beyond The Yellow Book’s aesthetic and decadent milieus.