For many years Edgar Saltus has been loosely associated with the bohemian and decadent movements in literature. He has also been inaccurately categorized as a disciple of Oscar Wilde and as a mere popularizer of Arthur Schopenhauer. His talent for clever phraseology has often been noted, as well as his ability to produce shudders in some of his readers, but he has been given little credit for versatility of style or originality of thought. Although Saltus was undeniably attracted to Schopenhauerian philosophy, his own viewpoint was not totally defined by it. Saltus saw limitations in Schopenhauer, and his writings reveal an attitude that transcends pessimism. His was by no means a one-track talent; in addition to popularizing what he called "the philosophy of disenchantment," Saltus also wrote intriguing fictionalized history, somewhat in the manner of Walter Pater, and he displays a wide-ranging and sophisticated sense of humor.

Saltus's...