By examining the process of production and reception of the works of Walter Pater and Oscar Wilde, this thesis explores the ways in which both conceptions of audience and actual audiences shaped these works. As proponents of "aestheticism," a philosophy which required the development of a highly specialised mode of perception and critical awareness, Pater and Wilde wrote with a fairly select audience in mind. Confronted, however, with actual readers who did not always meet the "aesthetic" criteria (even if they were supporters), they were forced to rethink their conceptions of audience. Pater's and Wilde's developing understandings of audience can be traced in their works, as they experiment with style and genre in an attempt to communicate effectively with their readers. Although at base Pater and Wilde advocated a similar "aesthetic" philosophy, their distinct conceptions of audience played a significant role in determining the nature of their particular versions of aestheticism.

This project explores Oscar Wilde's work on painting, the art of dress, and home decor, referred to collectively in his lectures as the 'decorative arts.' While it has become commonplace to assert that Wilde's plays and essays subvert the status quo, few scholars have studied Wilde's work on the decorative arts to substantiate his status as a writer arguing for social and political change. Through an analysis of Wilde's North American lecture tour and his editorship of The Woman's World, as well as his approach to painting, clothing, and home decor in his more well-known work, I argue that Wilde conceives of the decorative arts as a means of expressing and inciting dissatisfaction with the social and political realities of Victorian England. / As I show, Wilde subtly presents avant-garde art, sartorial details, and home decor items as functional ornaments. The formal elements of a painting foster receptivity and, by extension, sensitivity and compassion. Unconventional attire functions as a visual symbol of discontent with social and physical conformity. In light of Wilde's published support of women's emancipation, his writings on home decor imply that the well-decorated house, rather than the Victorian wife, should be responsible for creating domestic harmony. / Wilde's penchant for the decorative arts has long remained the domain of anecdote; the following study instead positions Wilde's interest in the decorative arts as a defining, and insightful, aspect of his oeuvre .

This thesis has explored Irish influences on the author of The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde. The study explored early family and peer influences on the author and has traced his Irish roots to reveal a knowledge of Irish folk lore which is apparent in this novel.In addition, the thesis has analyzed the novel with respect to characteristics of Irish folk lore which are called, in this study, Celtic magic. The paper also has presented the case that Oscar Wilde should be placed with Anglo-Irish writers instead of British authors.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Dept. of English and Dept. of HIstory. University of Missouri--Kansas City, 2008. / "A dissertation in English and history." Advisor: Jennifer Phegley. Typescript. Vita. Title from "catalog record" of the print edition Description based on contents viewed Feb. 6, 2009. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 233-292). Online version of the print edition.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2004. / Document formatted into pages; contains viii, 403 p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 388-403). Abstract available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center; full text release delayed at author's request until 2009 Jun. 18.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2004. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 57-64). Also available on the Internet.

Zugl.: Madrid, Univ. Complutense, Diss., 2006

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1987. / Also available in print.

Zugl.: Madrid, Universidad Complutense, Diss., 2006.