This book is an updated version of my doctoral dissertation, “The Role of the Reader in Oscar Wilde’s Narrative and Dramatic Works”, for which I was awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English Philology and was granted the distinction "summa cum laude" (University of La Rioja, 2002). In celebration of the 160th anniversary of Oscar Wilde’s birth, I have extended my PhD dissertation in order to include an analysis of the main critical works on Wilde written in the first years of the twenty-first century with a double purpose, namely, to complement the lines of investigation explored on my previous study with the latest contributions on the subject and to set it on an up-to-date framework so as to strengthen the conclusions reached in it in the light of the most recent Wildean research.
The present study explores Oscar Wilde's creative writings from the hypothesis that they called upon the active participation of the reader in the construction of their meaning. It has a twofold objective: first, to show that Wilde's emphasis on the creative role of the reader in his critical writings makes him conceive him as a co-creator in the production of meaning; second, to explore the literary strategies which Wilde employs to impel the reader to participate dynamically in the production of the meaning of his works as well as to cast light upon the social criticism which is derived from them.
The examination of Oscar Wilde's works is divided up into chapters devoted to specific literary genres in order to show how he gradually developed a remarkable ability to combine more sophisticated techniques that encourage the reader's active role with the progressive incorporation of elements that allow the “commercial” Oscar to make his works successful among the public without betraying the “literary” Wilde’s artistic principles.
The analysis of the role of the reader in Oscar Wilde's works permits to revaluate Wilde as a critic and as a writer. Furthermore, it demonstrates that, apart from the fact that Wilde the “myth” went ahead of his age in a wide range of aspects, there exists Wilde the “ARTIST”, who anticipated various themes in his aesthetic theory which concern contemporary literary theoreticians. This opens the possibility to a vast number of research writings about Oscar Wilde that may contribute to understand the origins of current literary interests and give him the status he rightly deserves in the history of literature.
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
THE WORKS OF OSCAR WILDE
1. THE CRITICAL RECEPTION OF OSCAR WILDE AND HIS WORKS
1. 1. OSCAR WILDE: THE ORIGINS OF THE MYTH
1. 2. THE POPULARISATION OF THE MYTH IN THE CRITICAL STUDIES OF WILDE
1. 3. NEW DIRECTIONS IN WILDE RESEARCH AND OBJECTIVE OF MY STUDY
2. METHODOLOGICAL DISCUSSION
2. 1. THE CONCEPT OF THE READER WITHIN READER-RESPONSE THEORY
2. 1. 1. THE READER AS AN ELEMENT OF THE TEXT
2. 1. 2. THE READER AS A DECODER OF TEXTUAL MEANING
2. 1. 3. THE READER AS A CO-PRODUCER OF MEANING
2. 1. 4. THE READER AS THE ONLY SOURCE OF MEANING
2. 2. THE CONCEPT OF THE READER WITHIN RECEPTION THEORY
2. 2. 1. THE HISTORICAL READER
2. 2. 2. THE IMPLIED READER
2. 3. JUSTIFICATION OF THE METHOD WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF OSCAR WILDE'S CRITICISM
3. THE PROCESS OF BUILDING AND BREAKING THE READER’S EXPECTATIONS IN LORD ARTHUR SAVILE’S CRIME AND OTHER STORIES
3. 1. THE TEAMWORK BETWEEN NARRATOR AND READER IN "LORD ARTHUR SAVILE'S CRIME"
3. 2. THE TWO-FOLD FUNCTION OF THE REPERTOIRE IN "THE CANTERVILLE GHOST"
3. 3. SURPRISE AS KEY ELEMENT IN THE ENDINGS OF "THE SPHINX WITHOUT A SECRET" AND "THE MODEL MILLIONAIRE"
4. THE SUBVERSIVE POTENTIAL OF THE HAPPY PRINCE AND OTHER TALES AND A HOUSE OF POMEGRANATES
4. 1. EMPHASIS ON THE TRANSFORMATIONAL PROCESS OF THE CHARACTERS' PATTERNS OF BEHAVIOUR
4. 1. 1. "THE HAPPY PRINCE"
4. 1. 2. "THE YOUNG KING"
4. 1. 3. "THE STAR-CHILD"
4. 2. THE REVERSAL OF THE CONVENTIONAL HAPPY ENDING OF CLASSICAL FAIRY TALES
4. 2. 1. "THE NIGHTINGALE AND THE ROSE"
4. 2. 2. "THE DEVOTED FRIEND"
4. 2. 3. "THE BIRTHDAY OF THE INFANTA"
5. THE COMPLEXITIES OF THE INTERACTION BETWEEN THE READER AND THE TEXT IN THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY
5. 1. ORIGINS AND COMPOSITION OF DG: TWO VERSIONS, TWO AUDIENCES
5. 2. PRESENTATION OF THE CHARACTERS: THE ACT OF IMAGE-BUILDING
5. 2. 1. IMAGE-BUILDING FROM INDIRECT PRESENTATION
5. 2. 2. IMAGE-BUILDING FROM A COMBINATION OF DIRECT AND INDIRECT PRESENTATION
5. 3. THE OPPOSITIONAL ARRANGEMENT OF PERSPECTIVES: PURITANISM VERSUS AESTHETICISM
5. 4. TRAPPING THE READER INTO AN ILLUSORY SENSE OF SUPERIORITY
5. 4. 1. INCREASE OF THE READER'S FEELING OF SUPERIORITY
5. 4. 2. THE READER'S FALL FROM THE POSITION OF SUPERIORITY
5. 5. THE CONFLICT OF THE CONTRASTING SCHEMATA WITHIN DORIAN GRAY
5. 5. 1. THE READER'S ACTUAL ENGAGEMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE CONFLICT
5. 5. 2. IMPLICATIONS OF THE READER'S DIRECT EXPERIENCE IN THE RESOLUTION OF THE CONFLICT
6. THE DOUBLE ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE AUDIENCE IN THE PLAYS
6. 1. TURNING TO THE STAGE: A FIRST APPROACH TO THE SOCIETY COMEDIES
6. 2. STRATAGEMS TO SIMULTANEOUSLY ATTRACT AND CRITICISE THE AUDIENCE IN LWF, WNI, AND IH
6. 2. 1. THE USE OF STAGE IMAGES AS MISLEADING FETISHES FOR THE AUDIENCE
6. 2. 1. 1. SETTING
6. 2. 1. 2. LIFE STYLE
6. 2. 1. 3. COSTUME
6. 2. 2. MANIPULATION OF POPULAR THEATRICAL MECHANICS
6. 2. 3. EXPLOITATION OF THE SYNCHRONIC USE OF THE OVERT AND THE COVERT IN THE DANDY'S DIALOGUE
6. 3. EVOLUTION TOWARDS A MODERN FORM OF DRAMA: THE PROVOCATION OF THE AUDIENCE IN IBE
6. 3. 1. THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN THE TRIVIAL AND THE SERIOUS
6. 3. 2. IBE AS A PRECURSOR OF MODERNIST THEATRE FOR A CONTEMPORARY AUDIENCE
7. CONCLUSIONS
7. 1. OSCAR WILDE'S AMBIGUOUS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PUBLIC
7. 2. THE CONCEPT OF THE READER IN WILDE'S CRITICAL WORKS
7. 3. THE ROLE OF THE READER IN WILDE'S CREATIVE WORKS: ANALYSIS OF THE RESULTS OF MY STUDY
Research Objectives & Themes
The primary objective of this study is to examine the conception of the reader that Oscar Wilde articulates in his critical writings and applies within his creative narratives and dramas. This research seeks to demonstrate that Wilde views the reader as a dynamic, active co-creator of textual meaning and that his works employ specific literary strategies designed to engage this active participation to critique Victorian social and moral norms.
- The evolution of Oscar Wilde as a literary figure and his relationship with the public.
- The integration of Reader-response and Reception theories as a methodological framework for analyzing Wilde’s creative works.
- An exploration of literary strategies in Wilde’s short fiction, specifically focusing on building and subverting reader expectations.
- The analysis of the subversive potential of Wilde’s fairy tales in the context of Victorian socialization.
- The examination of reader-text interaction within The Picture of Dorian Gray and Wilde’s society comedies.
Excerpt from the Book
1. 1. Oscar Wilde: The Origins of the Myth
For a long time the critics of Oscar Wilde have traditionally perceived Wilde as a socialite who successfully amused his Victorian audience with his extravagant poses and with the witty remarks that characterized both his conversation and his works until he was imprisoned for his homosexual behaviour and ended up his days tragically. In this section I shall examine how Wilde himself created his own myth as well as the objectives he pursued with it. The interest of this study of Wilde as the originator of his own myth is twofold: on the one hand, it reveals certain aspects of Wilde's personality that are crucial in order to realise the complexity of intentions underlying his works; on the other hand, it provides clues that explain the initial directions which were followed in Wilde research. My aim is not to destroy the legend about Wilde, but to show it under its proper conditions: the myth of Wilde is a fundamental key to get to know the real Wilde, but in order to reach a fuller understanding of this literary author is essential not to confuse one with the other.
When Wilde was still an undergraduate at Oxford, he had already succeeded in becoming an outstanding personality. There were constant rumours of Wilde's extreme devotion to the new aesthetic cult and his adoration of blue china and flamboyant dresses, and multiple legends about the eccentricities of the "Professor of Aesthetics" — as he made himself known — circulated among his school-fellows. Apart from being a popular character, Wilde was also an exceptional student: in 1878 he won the Newdigate Prize Poem with Ravenna and he achieved a double first in Literae Humaniores.
Summary of Chapters
1. THE CRITICAL RECEPTION OF OSCAR WILDE AND HIS WORKS: Analyzes the formation of Wilde's public myth as a dilettante and explores how this persona influenced early critical engagement with his literary works.
2. METHODOLOGICAL DISCUSSION: Establishes a framework using reader-oriented criticism, specifically Reader-response and Reception theories, to justify the study of the reader’s active role in Wilde's writings.
3. THE PROCESS OF BUILDING AND BREAKING THE READER’S EXPECTATIONS IN LORD ARTHUR SAVILE’S CRIME AND OTHER STORIES: Examines how Wilde uses popular literary forms and recurring motifs to manipulate reader expectations in his first collection of short stories.
4. THE SUBVERSIVE POTENTIAL OF THE HAPPY PRINCE AND OTHER TALES AND A HOUSE OF POMEGRANATES: Explores how Wilde reformulates traditional fairy-tale conventions to offer implicit social criticism through character transformation and subverted endings.
5. THE COMPLEXITIES OF THE INTERACTION BETWEEN THE READER AND THE TEXT IN THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY: Investigates the sophisticated strategies Wilde employs in his novel, such as the use of the portrait as a second text, to engage the reader's judgment and moral awareness.
6. THE DOUBLE ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE AUDIENCE IN THE PLAYS: Analyzes how Wilde’s society comedies and The Importance of Being Earnest employ theatrical conventions and dandyish dialogue to simultaneously entertain and critique the audience's Victorian values.
7. CONCLUSIONS: Synthesizes the results of the research, confirming that Wilde intended for his readers to actively participate in the creation of meaning as a vehicle for moral and social self-reflection.
Keywords
Oscar Wilde, Reader-response theory, Reception theory, aestheticism, Victorian society, literary myth, narrative strategies, social critique, reader involvement, creative subjectivity, The Picture of Dorian Gray, society comedies, fairy tales, parody, individualism.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
This study explores how Oscar Wilde conceptualizes the reader in his critical essays and subsequently employs specific literary strategies in his creative works to compel the reader to participate actively in the construction of meaning.
Which theoretical frameworks are applied?
The research integrates "Reader-response Theory" and "Reception Theory" to analyze how Wilde’s texts manipulate the reader's engagement, ultimately serving as a vehicle for social and moral critique.
What is the primary objective regarding Wilde's writings?
The objective is to move beyond the "myth" of Wilde as a superficial dilettante and provide a critical analysis of his works as intentional literary constructions that require an active reader to reveal their serious social critiques.
How are Wilde's short stories and fairy tales treated?
The study argues that these works use traditional forms and conventions as "repertoire," which Wilde then subverts or frustrates to force the reader into a more critical and imaginative engagement with the text.
What role does the reader play in The Picture of Dorian Gray?
The novel uses advanced techniques, such as the portrait as a second "text," to increase the reader's sense of superiority, which is then inverted to confront the reader with their own potential moral deficiencies and self-deception.
What characterizes Wilde's society comedies in this study?
The study highlights how Wilde uses theatrical fetishes, dandyish paradoxes, and the synchronization of trivial and serious discourse to both flatter and disorient his audience, masking social critique behind an entertaining surface.
How does this work redefine the role of the reader in Wilde's fairy tales?
It demonstrates that Wilde uses transformational processes of character behavior and reversals of classical happy endings to move the reader from an escapist mode of reading toward an active reflection on the injustices of the Victorian social structure.
What is the significance of the "dandy's dialogue" in Wilde's plays?
The study posits that the dandy's witty epigrams function as a mask; they offer an overt triviality that entertains the audience while simultaneously concealing a covert, serious critique of Victorian moral and social conventions.
- Arbeit zitieren
- PhD Cristina Pascual Aransáez (Autor:in), 2002, The Role of the Reader in Oscar Wilde's Works, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/273874
