Facing Wilde; or, Emotion's Image; PMLA (October 2015) (original) (raw)
Related papers
Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 2014
Wilde's complete adherence to aestheticism led him to write beautifully but maybe without any stress on the significance of morality. His only novel The Picture of Dorian Gray reveals his philosophy of aestheticism in both art and life. The standpoint of 'beauty' dominates the novel in a way that almost all of its possible themes are shadowed or directed through the strict filter of aestheticism. However, it seems that this is only a half-truth, as moral and social issues are also revealed with a fastidious precision. Dorian Gray is constantly troubled by the ghosts of conscience, aging, and alienation, and these ordeals force him into the dark dungeon of paranoia. Hence, the common knowledge concerning Wilde's art is a matter of debate, and this scrutiny essays to lay stress on the assumption that this novel is not solely an aesthetic work but a combination of aestheticism and realism. To accomplish this, the present study aims to delve into the inordinate fear and vulnerability of Dorian Gray's character, which is dominantly ruled by the fading beauty of his soul. The paper will put the novel under the scrutiny of the psychological trauma of narcissism to conclude how social alienation brings about Dorian Gray's mental breakdown.
BA Thesis - Oscar Wilde’s aestheticism in The Picture of Dorian Gray.pdf
This thesis aims to show how the conflict between art and morality is portrayed in Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. It will explore this conflict in general terms, how it is rooted in the values of Victorian society, and how artists of the time reacted to it. In what way the different moral and artistic views of Wilde’s mentors, John Ruskin and Walter Pater, influenced his views, and how his aesthetic principles represented in his critical essays are portrayed in his single novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. Finally, this thesis will introduce the literary reception of the moral issues of Oscar Wilde’s writings.
The Aesthetic Use of Symbols in Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray
ALUSTATH JOURNAL FOR HUMAN AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
This research paper is a study of the aesthetic use of symbols in Oscar Wilde’s only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891) which was published in Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine in 1890. The aim of this paper is not to cover all the symbols in the book, but to offer an explanation of the most significant symbols in the work which add depth and beauty to the text, hoping that this study will help the readers to achieve some aesthetic insight into the text of the novel. The novel’s focus on sensual love and physical pleasure that undercuts Victorian aesthetics and values of order and rationality brought much criticism and heated arguments on both the book and its rebellious author. The paper begins with an introduction that highlights the social values and the aesthetic concept of the Victorian people. But contrary to their expectations, Wilde used extraordinary ideas and symbols to undermine the Victorian code of values. This conflict led to the discussion of the themes of mo...
« Foreword », Études anglaises, «The Pictures of Oscar Wilde »
Etudes Anglaises, 2016
This special issue of Etudes Anglaises is a tribute to Oscar Wilde’s enduring legacy as well as to his continuing resonance in France. The perhaps slightly tongue-in-cheek idea of including The Importance of Being Earnest on the syllabus of the very serious competitive examination of the agregation in English has sparked renewed critical interest for Wilde among French scholars (see Aquien & Giudicelli, Eells, Drugeon & Vernadakis). The contributions gathered in this special issue of Etudes Anglaises sketch out the various relationships between Wilde’s works and the arts, from painting to film and music. They may be read as illustrating Wilde’s “absolutely impertinent” stance, to borrow the phrase used as a title for the exhibition on Wilde held at the Petit Palais in Paris in the autumn of 2016, “Oscar Wilde, l’impertinent absolu” (“Oscar Wilde: Absolutely Impertinent”). Cumulatively designing a textual museum, the essays invite the reader to stroll through the pages in order to co...