The term “modernity” has been employed by various authors as a loaded and multifaceted concept, often used to critique or distinguish contemporary approaches from traditional ones. For instance, Oscar Wilde cautions against both “modernity of form” and “modernity of subject-matter,” suggesting that adherence to current trends can undermine genuine artistic expression ([1], [2], [3], [4]), while simultaneously, Nietzsche’s works, including critiques found in The Twilight of the Idols and The Will to Power, present modernity as a source of societal decay and moral corruption—linking it to everything from a divorcing of reason from marriage ([5]) to unhealthy social practices ([6], [7], [8], [9]). Other authors, such as H. G. Wells and Bram Stoker, use the term to evoke a sense of distance or contrast between contemporary life and older, perhaps more robust, cultural traditions ([10], [11]). Additionally, in texts like Autobiography of a Yogi and historical accounts by Apicius, modernity is portrayed as a curious juxtaposition with antiquation or as an almost tangible reminder of present-day realities ([12], [13]). Together, these examples illustrate that while modernity can denote progress and immediacy, it is also harnessed as a critical device questioning the validity and vitality of contemporary trends in both art and society.