I was attempting to answer your questions in my first ( rather biligerent reply) , unfortunately my long winded ramble is not very clear. If you reread from the part about venereal diseases down, what I was trying to say is that I think the artisitc decline is inevitable but for a few exceptions. One aspect of this decline is I think the fact that the artists who succeed tend to get treated to a lifestyle of fawning and they eventually lose touch with the world that they are attempting to create art in response to. I think you are on to something with media because novelists , who dont get the same publicity (and thus stardom)seem to maintain their impulses longer then most. Also Classical musicians of the past , though treated somewhat like rock stars , they were still not as recognizable as todays stars ie in peoples magazine etc... Classical musicians also tend to be more rigouously prepared for the world with education and practice habits etc.... that they may be better equipped to maintain their creativity, this may be especially so with performers, like Perlman etc..)
So in summing up I think these sociatle issues play a fare roll in the decline....
I hope that is clearer,though it only answers part of the matrix. It was also way less fun to write. ..
s.
s