AnAesheicInerpreaionofSame-sexloveinOscarWilde’sWorks_开题报告

Oscar Wilde, an Irish-born English playwright, novelist, essayist and poet, brings us a series of successful and sometimes innovative productions of different genres. He was regarded as one of the most representative proponents for the Movement of Aestheticism. As a controversial figure, Wilde keeps his life and personality in the limelight. When he was alive, most authorities academically on the one hand criticized ‘immorality’ in his works and censured him as a rebel against society, on the other hand, they’re jealous of his wisdom and genius. After his death, people set about reading his works again and having a new review for his aesthetic ideology. Scholars and professors at home and aboard have mainly studied aestheticism and the discussion of moral sense reflected in his writings. Yet, studies on the influence of Wilde’s homosexual life on his literary creations are few. Therefore, this paper intends to analyze the secret display of the same sex love in Wilde’s works so that to dig out his contradictory attitude towards it. Through a long time effort in reading, integrating and summarizing an abundance of scholars and professors’ literature concerning the aestheticism and the same sex love of Oscar Wilde, a detailed classification has been made and the essay which sums up the essence of the literature as follow.

A Review of British Gay Literature Since the 19th Century by Hao Hongling and Wang Xiaoshu holds the view that British gay literature is always marginalized on the edge because of the heterosexuality yet it is integrating itself into the mainstream literature. According to this paper, British gay literature can date back to Jeffery Chaucer，it did not display itself until the 19th century. Since more and more outstanding writers began to involve themselves in gay literature，it then began to flourish in the 20th century. George Gordon Byron, Oscar Wilde, Edward Morgan Forster, D.H.Lawrence, Radcliff Hall, Virginia Woolf, Sarah Waters and other English writers are listed for supporting the conclusion that British gay literature is characterized by the weight of the mainstream discourse and the value orientation to the same love sex, and the pain of homosexuality for identity identification in different ages. We can know the history about the gay literature in Britain

Aestheticism and Oscar Wilde in the Context of Homosexuality by He Changyi takes The Portrait of Mr. W. H. and The Picture of Dorian Gray as the example, reveals that the former embodies Wilde’s tracing the history of homosexuality and testifies the implications of homosexuality in Shakespeare’s Sonnets and points out that the latter represents Wilde’s puzzlement over homosexuality and his exploration into life and aesthetics from the perspective of homosexuality. In the first part, the thesis lays stress on the remolding of Mr.W.H.. Dating from Shakespeare’s sonnet, Mr.W.H’s gender was vague and this figure was remolded by Oscar Wilde as a homosexual. The second part of the thesis focuses on The Picture of Dorian Gray, which expresses Oscar Wilde’s homosexual aestheticism. The third part concludes Oscar Wilde’s aestheticism and view of life in the context of homosexuality. It tries to interpret Oscar Wilde on all-round way.

Having read the above books and papers concerning Oscar Wilde, how to interpret Oscar Wilde’s aestheticism, values and attitudes to the same sex love becomes clearer than before. Most researches and studies done by professors and scholars have made great contributions. However, there exist inconsistencies to get all the papers and books above together properly. And few papers concern with the relationship between aestheticism and the same sex love, and in my view, the same sex love in his works can be interpreted by aestheticism and it’s significant to understand Oscar Wilde. Therefore, my paper will pay attention to this point I hope it can make some contribution to restore a true Oscar Wilde.

Outline

Abstract

Introduction

1.A Brief Overview of Aestheticism

  1.1 Social Background

  1.2 Evolution of Aestheticism

  1.2.1 Schools of Aestheticism

  1.2.2 Oscar Wilde's Contribution to Aestheticism

2.The Aesthetic Interpretation of the Same-sex Love in Oscar Wilde’s Works.

  2.1.Same Sex Love in British Literature

  2.1.1.Same-sex Love in Oscar Wilde's Works

  2.1.2.Same-sex love in Other Writer’s Works

  2.2.Moral Attitude Towards Same-sex Love

  2.3.Aesthetic Interpretation of Same-sex Love in Oscar's Works

  2.3.1.Aesthetic Practice in Oscar Wilde’s Homosexual Life

  2.3.2.Aesthetic Description of Same-sex Love in Oscar’s Fairy Tales

  2.2.3.Aesthetic Comment of Same-sex Love in Literary Criticisms

  2.3.4.Aesthetic Symbols of Same-sex Love in Novels      

  2.3.5.Aesthetic Self-dissertation in Letters

3.Influence of Same-sex love on Wilde's writings

  3.1. Expression of Contradiction

  3.2.Revelation of Hopes in Death theme

  3.3.Exploration of Forgiveness in Paradox

  3.4.Contributions to Changing Social Prejudice

Conclusion

References

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