“I Will Take Your Answer One Way or Another”: The Oscar Wilde Trial Transcripts as Literary Artefacts
Oscar Wilde was not only an eccentric artist and perhaps one of the most popular British dramatists since Shakespeare, but also one of the – if not the – first modern star, who understood how to present oneself in public and use publicity as means of...
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Oscar Wilde was not only an eccentric artist and perhaps one of the most popular British dramatists since Shakespeare, but also one of the – if not the – first modern star, who understood how to present oneself in public and use publicity as means of self-realisation. After discussing upcoming theoretical problems of this paper like the reliability of transcripts as well as the theoretical background of the following analysis, there will be an introductory part that first of all provides information on the legal and social situation the Wilde trials are embedded in. Then the different ‘aesthetic models’ from dandyism to decadence will be explained briefly followed by a closer look on Wilde’s self-representation. Afterwards some crucial biographical background information will be given of Wilde, his relationship to Lord Alfred Douglas as well as Douglas’s father Lord Queensberry. The main part of this paper then will focus on the trials , beginning with a summary and going on by discussing selected passages that will be contrasted to the Wildean work. Before then placing the trial transcripts within the context of Wilde’s work with the help of Genette’s concept of paratexts, there will be a short digression by having a look at Wilde’s ‘autobiography’ De Profundis. The intention of this paper is to depict the relevance of the trials in the context of understanding Wilde’s work. Limited in its volume, this paper will obviously fail to give adequate answers to the questions emerging during the analysis. Therefore, its aim will be to establish a foundation for further research by demonstrating how the integration of the trial transcripts into the material observed for interpretation can lead to new insights and enrich the understanding of Wilde’s Œuvre.
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