Bohemian (demonym): Difference between revisions

Revision as of 16:49, 10 January 2003

Revision as of 16:50, 10 January 2003

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== - Bohemian lifestyle - ==

A secondary meaning for '''bohemian''' emerged in early [[19th century]] [[France]] and at the beginning of the 20th century was much in use when describing the artistic community that gathered in [[Montparnasse]]. ItThe term "bohemian" was used to describe a group of [[artist]]s, [[writer]]s, and disenchanted people of all sorts who wished to live a non-traditional lifestyle. The term "bohemian" is defined in The American College Dictionary as "a person with artistic or intellectual tendencies, who lives and acts with no regard for conventional rules of behavior."

This often included drugs and poverty, but, overall, many of the most talented men of letters were bohemians. In [[Paris]] at the turn of the century, the bohemians gathered around the [[Montparnasse]] area. [[Honore de Balzac|Honoré de Balzac]] approved of Bohemia, although most bourgeois did not. In fact, the two groups were often cited as opposites. The phrase itself was derived from the name of the Czech province, erroneously considered the homeland of the [[Gypsies]]. The term has since become associated with various [[artistic]] communities and is used as a generalized [[adjective]] describing such people, environs, or situations.