This essay argues that the chronological progression of the sexual revolution is visible through looking at the image of the character Salome, a figure of great interest during the fin de siecle period, as presented in four texts from different times during the revolution. The essay also argues that the presentation of the figure of Salome changes alongside the changes that occurred in society, and that Salome can be seen as a front figure in the sexual revolution. Salome’s infamous dance in front of Herod has also been described differently in the texts. The four texts used are a section from the novel Against Nature by Joris-Karl Huysmans, Oscar Wilde’s play Salomé, a poem named “A Dance of Death” by Michael Field (the pen-name of Katherine Bradley and Edith Cooper) and lastly a poem by Carol Ann Duffy named “Salome.” 

In order to present the chronological transformation of the image of Salome the texts are presented and discussed in the order they were published. Furthermore, Salome is portrayed as seductive and monstrous in the first text, and in the last, alongside the revolution, the image of her has transformed into a modern woman.