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Full Description
Originally published in English in 1989, from a 1980 German edition, this book provides a comprehensive study of Oscar Wilde's work. It aims to gain fresh insight into his literary and critical œuvre by fully analysing each of his works on the basis of a textually oriented interpretation, taking equal account of the biographical and intellectual contexts. Professor Kohl's starting-point is the thesis that Wilde's identity - both personal and artistic - can only be adequately described in terms of a conflict between two opposing forces: individualism and convention. This conflict colours not only Wilde's use of Romantic and Victorian images and motifs, but also his modern portrayal of the individual's alienation from society, the loss of transcendent values, the sovereignty of subjectivity and autonomous art, and also his formal experiments with language. This is a penetrating and highly readable account of Wilde as a 'conformist rebel'.
Contents
Preface; Introduction; 1. Epigonic experiments: the early poems and plays; 2. The selfish and the selfless: the fairy-tales and stories; 3. Personality and perfection: the lectures, Reviews and Intentions; 4. Authority and autonomy: The Soul Man under Socialism; 5. Culture and corruption: The Picture of Dorian Gray; 6. Sensuality and suggestion: Salome and The Sphinx; 7. Pathos and paradox: Lady Windermere's Fan: A Woman of No Importance; An Ideal Husband; 8. Propriety and parody: The Importance of Being Earnest; 9. Apologies and accusations: De Profundis and The Ballad of Reading Gaol; 10. Plans, sketches and fragments; Conclusion; List of abbreviations; Notes; Select bibliography; Index.
