Publisher:
Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, London
5 SHORT FICTIONThe Happy Prince; The House of Pomegranates; Aesthetic criticism; Aesthetic prose: 'The Fisherman and his Soul'; Newspaper fiction: Lord Arthur Savile's Crime and Other Stories; 6 THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY; 7 SALOME, SALOME, AND...
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5 SHORT FICTIONThe Happy Prince; The House of Pomegranates; Aesthetic criticism; Aesthetic prose: 'The Fisherman and his Soul'; Newspaper fiction: Lord Arthur Savile's Crime and Other Stories; 6 THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY; 7 SALOME, SALOME, AND SYMBOLIST THEATRE; 8 THE SOCIAL COMEDIES; Lady Windermere's Fan; A Woman of No Importance; An Ideal Husband; The Importance of Being Earnest; 9 LETTERS; 'De Profundis'; On prison reform; PART FOUR: REFERENCE SECTION; 10 WILDE AND HIS CIRCLE; Gazetteer; Short glossary of critical terms; Further reading; INDEX. A Preface to Oscar Wilde provides a detailed study of the cultural, personal and political influences that shaped Wilde's writing. The study concentrates primarily on his fiction, critical dialogues and plays that were published between 1890 and 1895, and detailed accounts of Wilde's lesser known works such as his poetry, journalism and letters are also presented. The first section places his work in a variety of cultural contexts: Wilde's family life and his Irish inheritance are examined, the impact of his sexuality on his writing and reputation is considered, and a description is pro Cover; Title Page; Copyright Page; Table of Contents; LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS; ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS; ABBREVIATIONS; INTRODUCTION; Dedication; PART ONE: THE WRITER AND HIS SETTING; Chronology; 1 BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT; Family life: Lady Wilde and Mrs Oscar Wilde; Ireland; Homosexuality; The myth of Wilde; PART TWO: AESTHETIC AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY; 2 CRITICAL WRITINGS; Lectures; Journalism; The Woman's World; 'The Soul of Man Under Socialism'; Critical dialogues; 3 THEATRE PRACTICE AND INNOVATION; PART THREE: CRITICAL SURVEY; 4 POETRY; Poems (1881); The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898).
