Made available in DSpace on 2016-05-17T16:51:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2015-08-24. Added 1 bitstream(s) on 2016-05-17T16:55:02Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 000864541_20180910.pdf: 179947 bytes, checksum: 95effaa0d940a112633041873f772fc2 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Esta tese propõe que todas as peças escritas por Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), a saber: Vera or, The Nihilists (1880), The Duchess of Padua (1883), Lady Windermere's Fan (1892), Salomé (1892), A Woman of No Importance (1894), An Ideal Husband (1895) e The Importance of Being Earnest (1895), podem ser analisadas de acordo com a perspectiva teórica de base estética da qual Wilde foi um dos expoentes maiores. O embasamento teórico-crítico de tal análise consiste dos ensaios críticos de Wilde ‗The Truth of Masks' (1885), ‗The Decay of Lying' (1889), ‗Pen, Pencil and Poison' (1889) e ‗The Critic as Artist' (1890), que foram posteriormente compilados em seu livro Intentions (1891). O presente estudo tem seus alicerces em minha dissertação de mestrado intitulada Oscar Wilde: teoria e prática, defendida em abril de 2011. Nessa dissertação, a peça The Importance of Being Earnest foi analisada sob essa mesma ótica e permitiu a compreensão da coerência entre a teoria e a prática de Oscar Wilde, uma vez que, nos resultados que foram obtidos, pode-se perceber que os elementos estruturais da peça, bem como seus elementos linguísticos, contêm veios estéticos profundos. Dessa maneira, o trabalho aqui desenvolvido averigua se a transposição da teoria em prática se dá em toda a composição dramática de Wilde ou se The Importance of Being Earnest é apenas um caso específico e isolado. Uma vez provada que a coerência wildeana se mantém, foi instaurado, então, um questionamento sobre a medida em que sua composição dramática está associada às suas próprias ponderações estéticas / This doctoral thesis proposes that all the plays written by Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900), namely Vera or, The Nihilists (1880), The Duchess of Padua (1883), Lady Windermere's Fan (1892), Salomé (1892), A Woman of No Importance (1894), An Ideal Husband (1895) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895), can be analysed according to the aesthetic theoretical perspective of which Wilde was one of the major exponents. The theoretical basis for the analysis is to be found in Wilde's critical essays, ‗The Truth of Masks' (1885), ‗The Decay of Lying' (1889), ‗Pen, Pencil and Poison' (1889) and ‗The Critic as Artist' (1890), which were later published in Intentions (1891). The present study has its foundations in my MA dissertation, Oscar Wilde: teoria e prática, concluded in April 2011. In that work, Wilde's play The Importance of Being Earnest was analysed from the same perspective, which made it possible to perceive the consistency between Oscar Wilde's theory and practice, as the results proved that both the structural and the linguistic elements of the play contain deep aesthetic features. The work developed here is thus intended to verify whether the transposition from theory to practice occurs in Wilde's dramatic work as a whole, or whether The Importance of Being Earnest is a specific and isolated case. Since it was possible to demonstrate that Wilde's plays are indeed consistent with his aesthetic principles, the study goes on to investigate the extent to which his dramatic composition may be associated with his own aesthetic precepts

Esta dissertação examina as formas como três instâncias se embaraçam na arte de Oscar Wilde: a pessoa, o autor e a obra. O objetivo da pesquisa é compreender como se dá o processo criativo desse escritor, cujas peças levitam entre o irreverente e o polêmico. O humor refinado e a sagacidade na análise do trato social, traços marcantes no estilo de Wilde, são aqui aproximados à habilidade demonstrada tanto pelo autor quanto por seus personagens de se adaptarem a diferentes circunstâncias através do uso de máscaras, ou personas, que lhes possibilitam contornar situações intrincadas. Apoio-me no pensamento de Carl Gustav Jung para as teorizações sobre o conceito de máscara. O trabalho se constrói em três capítulos, nos quais são analisados aspectos e circunstâncias da vida do autor que contribuem para forjar seu estilo único, e que se refletem nas obras por ele criadas. O primeiro capítulo trata sobre a pessoa de Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde, e os movimentos que empreendeu para que sua personalidade forte e o rígido ambiente vitoriano em que vivia pudessem aos poucos se harmonizar. Abordo as formas como a sociedade em que cresceu o afetou, apontando aspectos em que ele também a influenciou em retrospecto. Ao longo desse processo, Wilde criou as máscaras que utilizaria, durante a vida, para transitar da maneira desejada entre os diversos grupos com que se relacionou. O segundo e o terceiro capítulos apresentam o autor Oscar Wilde e a sequência de diferentes tipos de obras por ele criadas, avaliando de que formas as circunstâncias da vida da pessoa se consolidaram formando o estilo do autor. Além da estética de Wilde, também é considerada a recepção de sua obra pelo público contemporâneo a ele. No segundo capítulo apresento os conceitos de máscara e de sombra, e como se refletem em sua obra e em sua vida pessoal. Ali são examinadas as primeiras tragédias e, a seguir, as obras que o tornaram um autor polêmico na Inglaterra Vitoriana: “The Portrait of Mr. W. H” e The Picture of Dorian Gray. No terceiro capítulo comento seu momento mais prestigiado, o da produção das comédias sociais, bem como o momento mais sombrio, o das obras escritas durante os anos de prisão, nos últimos anos de sua vida. Ainda discuto, no terceiro capítulo, o legado deixado por Wilde, comentando como as mudanças sociais levaram a uma nova recepção de suas obras, e como essas obras continuam relevantes tendo-se passado um século de sua criação. Nas considerações finais, reitero o propósito da pesquisa, que é contribuir com uma leitura sobre o estilo do grande escritor, com base na análise das relações que se deram entre esse irlandês excêntrico e a inclemente sociedade Vitoriana em que viveu. / This dissertation examines how three strings tangle together in Oscar Wilde’s art: the person, the author and his literary works. The goal of this research is to understand the creative process of this author, whose plays go from irreverent to polemic. The polished humor and wit applied in his analysis of social behavior, trademarks in Wilde’s writing style, approximate the ability shown by the author, as well as by his characters, to adapt to different circumstances through the use of masks, or personas, that enable them to escape intricate situations. The concept of mask is supported on Carl Gustav Jung’s theory. This paper is constructed in three chapters, in which it is analyzed aspects and circumstances of the author’s life that contributed to his unique writing style and is reflected on his literary works. The first chapter deals with the person Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde, and the movements that he partook in so that his strong personality and the strict Victorian environment could harmonize themselves in his life. This paper approaches the ways the society he was brought up into affected him, pointing out aspects in which he affected this society in return. Throughout this process Wilde created many masks that he would use his whole life to be able to navigate through different groups he was related to however he wished. The second and third chapters present the author Oscar Wilde and the sequence of different literary works written by him, evaluating how the circumstances in his personal life shaped him, creating the author’s writing style. Not only this paper considers the Aesthete in Wilde, but also the reception of his works by the public that was contemporary to him. In the second chapter it is presented the concepts of mask and shadow, and how they reflect on Wilde’s work and personal life. It is also examined his first tragedies and the literary works that made him become a polemic author in Victorian England: “The Portrait of Mr. W. H.” and The Picture of Dorian Gray. In the third chapter it is mentioned the brightest moments in his career, his comedies of society, as well as his soberest, with the work he wrote in prison and in the last few years of his life. Still in the third chapter, it is discussed the legacy left by Wilde, commenting on the social changes that led to a new reception of his works, as they continue to be relevant even a century after their creation. On my final considerations, I reiterate the goal of this research, which is to contribute with a reading on the style of this great writer, based on the analysis of the relation between this eccentric Irish man and the unmerciful Victorian society that he lived in.

Esta dissertação examina as formas como três instâncias se embaraçam na arte de Oscar Wilde: a pessoa, o autor e a obra. O objetivo da pesquisa é compreender como se dá o processo criativo desse escritor, cujas peças levitam entre o irreverente e o polêmico. O humor refinado e a sagacidade na análise do trato social, traços marcantes no estilo de Wilde, são aqui aproximados à habilidade demonstrada tanto pelo autor quanto por seus personagens de se adaptarem a diferentes circunstâncias através do uso de máscaras, ou personas, que lhes possibilitam contornar situações intrincadas. Apoio-me no pensamento de Carl Gustav Jung para as teorizações sobre o conceito de máscara. O trabalho se constrói em três capítulos, nos quais são analisados aspectos e circunstâncias da vida do autor que contribuem para forjar seu estilo único, e que se refletem nas obras por ele criadas. O primeiro capítulo trata sobre a pessoa de Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde, e os movimentos que empreendeu para que sua personalidade forte e o rígido ambiente vitoriano em que vivia pudessem aos poucos se harmonizar. Abordo as formas como a sociedade em que cresceu o afetou, apontando aspectos em que ele também a influenciou em retrospecto. Ao longo desse processo, Wilde criou as máscaras que utilizaria, durante a vida, para transitar da maneira desejada entre os diversos grupos com que se relacionou. O segundo e o terceiro capítulos apresentam o autor Oscar Wilde e a sequência de diferentes tipos de obras por ele criadas, avaliando de que formas as circunstâncias da vida da pessoa se consolidaram formando o estilo do autor. Além da estética de Wilde, também é considerada a recepção de sua obra pelo público contemporâneo a ele. No segundo capítulo apresento os conceitos de máscara e de sombra, e como se refletem em sua obra e em sua vida pessoal. Ali são examinadas as primeiras tragédias e, a seguir, as obras que o tornaram um autor polêmico na Inglaterra Vitoriana: “The Portrait of Mr. W. H” e The Picture of Dorian Gray. No terceiro capítulo comento seu momento mais prestigiado, o da produção das comédias sociais, bem como o momento mais sombrio, o das obras escritas durante os anos de prisão, nos últimos anos de sua vida. Ainda discuto, no terceiro capítulo, o legado deixado por Wilde, comentando como as mudanças sociais levaram a uma nova recepção de suas obras, e como essas obras continuam relevantes tendo-se passado um século de sua criação. Nas considerações finais, reitero o propósito da pesquisa, que é contribuir com uma leitura sobre o estilo do grande escritor, com base na análise das relações que se deram entre esse irlandês excêntrico e a inclemente sociedade Vitoriana em que viveu. / This dissertation examines how three strings tangle together in Oscar Wilde’s art: the person, the author and his literary works. The goal of this research is to understand the creative process of this author, whose plays go from irreverent to polemic. The polished humor and wit applied in his analysis of social behavior, trademarks in Wilde’s writing style, approximate the ability shown by the author, as well as by his characters, to adapt to different circumstances through the use of masks, or personas, that enable them to escape intricate situations. The concept of mask is supported on Carl Gustav Jung’s theory. This paper is constructed in three chapters, in which it is analyzed aspects and circumstances of the author’s life that contributed to his unique writing style and is reflected on his literary works. The first chapter deals with the person Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde, and the movements that he partook in so that his strong personality and the strict Victorian environment could harmonize themselves in his life. This paper approaches the ways the society he was brought up into affected him, pointing out aspects in which he affected this society in return. Throughout this process Wilde created many masks that he would use his whole life to be able to navigate through different groups he was related to however he wished. The second and third chapters present the author Oscar Wilde and the sequence of different literary works written by him, evaluating how the circumstances in his personal life shaped him, creating the author’s writing style. Not only this paper considers the Aesthete in Wilde, but also the reception of his works by the public that was contemporary to him. In the second chapter it is presented the concepts of mask and shadow, and how they reflect on Wilde’s work and personal life. It is also examined his first tragedies and the literary works that made him become a polemic author in Victorian England: “The Portrait of Mr. W. H.” and The Picture of Dorian Gray. In the third chapter it is mentioned the brightest moments in his career, his comedies of society, as well as his soberest, with the work he wrote in prison and in the last few years of his life. Still in the third chapter, it is discussed the legacy left by Wilde, commenting on the social changes that led to a new reception of his works, as they continue to be relevant even a century after their creation. On my final considerations, I reiterate the goal of this research, which is to contribute with a reading on the style of this great writer, based on the analysis of the relation between this eccentric Irish man and the unmerciful Victorian society that he lived in.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:29:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2011-02-18Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:39:18Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 amaral_sr_me_sjrp.pdf: 847638 bytes, checksum: 1ca8f6c036d4d30d7925b494972844ba (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Este trabalho tem por objetivo a análise da peça A importância de ser Prudente (2007), escrita por Oscar Wilde (1854 – 1900), de acordo com a perspectiva teórica de base estética, da qual Wilde foi um dos expoentes maiores. O método analógico foi utilizado para estruturar a comparação entre a teoria estética de Wilde e o texto de sua peça A importância de ser Prudente, representante de sua prática dramatúrgica. Os textos teórico-críticos de Wilde foram escolhidos com base nos objetivos da proposta, os mais relevantes sendo: O crítico como artista, A decadência da mentira, A verdade das máscaras e Pena, lápis e veneno, todos eles compilados no livro Intenções, publicado no volume único da Obra Completa de Oscar Wilde (2007). A pesquisa partiu, ainda, dos conceitos teóricos do Movimento Estético (geral) para os conceitos estéticos encontrados nos ensaios críticos de Wilde (específico), e os ensaios em questão se prestaram à abordagem teórica estética utilizada na pesquisa. Considerando que o principal teórico do Movimento Estético foi Walter Pater (1839 – 1894), suas obras Appreciations, with an Essay on Style (1889) e The Renaissance: Studies in Art and Poetry (1873) foram analisadas a fim de clarificar quais são os pressupostos teóricos do Movimento Estético e quais desses são compartilhados com Oscar Wilde. Tomando como base tais conjecturas, verificaram-se como esses conceitos teóricos incidem na prática de Wilde / This study has as its aim the analysis of the play The Importance of Being Earnest (2007), written by Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), in accordance with the aesthetic theoretical perspective, of which Wilde was a major exponent. A method of analogical comparison was utilised, contrasting Oscar Wilde’s theory, taken from some of his critical essays, with the text of the play The Importance of Being Earnest, as a representation of his dramaturgy in practice. The theoretical and critical texts by Wilde were chosen according to the aims of this proposal, the most relevant being: “The Critic as Artist”, “The Decay of Lying”, “The Truth of Masks” and “Pen, Pencil and Poison”, all of which were published together in the book Intentions, republished in Oscar Wilde’s Complete Works (2007). The research moved from the theoretical conceptions of the Aesthetic Movement (general) to the aesthetic conceptions found in Wilde’s articles (specific), therefore the aforementioned essays are used as the aesthetic theoretical approach which was chosen to lead the research. Considering that the main theorist of the Aesthetic Movement was Walter Pater (1839 – 1894), his works, Appreciations, with an Essay on Style (1889) and The Renaissance: Studies in Art and Poetry (1873), were analysed in order to clarify the theoretical premises of the Aesthetic Movement and which of these are shared with Oscar Wilde. Taking these conjectures as a starting point, the impact of these theoretical concepts on Wilde’s practice was then analysed

Esta tesis, titulada El sujeto y su doble: Asedios al héroe fantástico, tiene como objetivo principal analizar e interpretar la figura del doble en tres relatos fantásticos: William Wilson (Poe), El Horla (Maupassant), y El retrato de Dorian Gray (Wilde). A través de ellos se busca esclarecer las dimensiones, variaciones e incidencias que estos Doppelgänger tienen en relación con el héroe, quien es acosado como presencia fantasmal por el Otro creando un vínculo especular que deriva en su aniquilación. La función interna de la imaginación motiva interacciones “aparentes” entre los actores de la obra. Surge así la figura del Otro como alteridad radical.En los tres relatos, el doble cumple funciones distintas y constituye una representación del sujeto ante sí mismo, una proyección que evidencia su despersonalización y un cuestionamiento acerca de su propia constitución como tal, que se vuelve inestable. Lo anterior se lleva a cabo a partir de un análisis que contempla las teorías acerca de lo fantástico, la narratología y el psicoanálisis, principalmente.

Esta dissertação examina as formas como três instâncias se embaraçam na arte de Oscar Wilde: a pessoa, o autor e a obra. O objetivo da pesquisa é compreender como se dá o processo criativo desse escritor, cujas peças levitam entre o irreverente e o polêmico. O humor refinado e a sagacidade na análise do trato social, traços marcantes no estilo de Wilde, são aqui aproximados à habilidade demonstrada tanto pelo autor quanto por seus personagens de se adaptarem a diferentes circunstâncias através do uso de máscaras, ou personas, que lhes possibilitam contornar situações intrincadas. Apoio-me no pensamento de Carl Gustav Jung para as teorizações sobre o conceito de máscara. O trabalho se constrói em três capítulos, nos quais são analisados aspectos e circunstâncias da vida do autor que contribuem para forjar seu estilo único, e que se refletem nas obras por ele criadas. O primeiro capítulo trata sobre a pessoa de Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde, e os movimentos que empreendeu para que sua personalidade forte e o rígido ambiente vitoriano em que vivia pudessem aos poucos se harmonizar. Abordo as formas como a sociedade em que cresceu o afetou, apontando aspectos em que ele também a influenciou em retrospecto. Ao longo desse processo, Wilde criou as máscaras que utilizaria, durante a vida, para transitar da maneira desejada entre os diversos grupos com que se relacionou. O segundo e o terceiro capítulos apresentam o autor Oscar Wilde e a sequência de diferentes tipos de obras por ele criadas, avaliando de que formas as circunstâncias da vida da pessoa se consolidaram formando o estilo do autor. Além da estética de Wilde, também é considerada a recepção de sua obra pelo público contemporâneo a ele. No segundo capítulo apresento os conceitos de máscara e de sombra, e como se refletem em sua obra e em sua vida pessoal. Ali são examinadas as primeiras tragédias e, a seguir, as obras que o tornaram um autor polêmico na Inglaterra Vitoriana: “The Portrait of Mr. W. H” e The Picture of Dorian Gray. No terceiro capítulo comento seu momento mais prestigiado, o da produção das comédias sociais, bem como o momento mais sombrio, o das obras escritas durante os anos de prisão, nos últimos anos de sua vida. Ainda discuto, no terceiro capítulo, o legado deixado por Wilde, comentando como as mudanças sociais levaram a uma nova recepção de suas obras, e como essas obras continuam relevantes tendo-se passado um século de sua criação. Nas considerações finais, reitero o propósito da pesquisa, que é contribuir com uma leitura sobre o estilo do grande escritor, com base na análise das relações que se deram entre esse irlandês excêntrico e a inclemente sociedade Vitoriana em que viveu. / This dissertation examines how three strings tangle together in Oscar Wilde’s art: the person, the author and his literary works. The goal of this research is to understand the creative process of this author, whose plays go from irreverent to polemic. The polished humor and wit applied in his analysis of social behavior, trademarks in Wilde’s writing style, approximate the ability shown by the author, as well as by his characters, to adapt to different circumstances through the use of masks, or personas, that enable them to escape intricate situations. The concept of mask is supported on Carl Gustav Jung’s theory. This paper is constructed in three chapters, in which it is analyzed aspects and circumstances of the author’s life that contributed to his unique writing style and is reflected on his literary works. The first chapter deals with the person Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde, and the movements that he partook in so that his strong personality and the strict Victorian environment could harmonize themselves in his life. This paper approaches the ways the society he was brought up into affected him, pointing out aspects in which he affected this society in return. Throughout this process Wilde created many masks that he would use his whole life to be able to navigate through different groups he was related to however he wished. The second and third chapters present the author Oscar Wilde and the sequence of different literary works written by him, evaluating how the circumstances in his personal life shaped him, creating the author’s writing style. Not only this paper considers the Aesthete in Wilde, but also the reception of his works by the public that was contemporary to him. In the second chapter it is presented the concepts of mask and shadow, and how they reflect on Wilde’s work and personal life. It is also examined his first tragedies and the literary works that made him become a polemic author in Victorian England: “The Portrait of Mr. W. H.” and The Picture of Dorian Gray. In the third chapter it is mentioned the brightest moments in his career, his comedies of society, as well as his soberest, with the work he wrote in prison and in the last few years of his life. Still in the third chapter, it is discussed the legacy left by Wilde, commenting on the social changes that led to a new reception of his works, as they continue to be relevant even a century after their creation. On my final considerations, I reiterate the goal of this research, which is to contribute with a reading on the style of this great writer, based on the analysis of the relation between this eccentric Irish man and the unmerciful Victorian society that he lived in.

Orientador: Orna Messer Levin / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Estudos da Linguagem / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-22T16:26:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Toffoli_Tania_M.pdf: 4489343 bytes, checksum: 7ed0bd40c4c0b187ed4497cc828dfc8c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / Resumo: O objetivo deste trabalho é comparar o contexto de publicação do único romance de Oscar Wilde, \O Retrato de Dorian Gray", na Inglaterra e no Brasil. A obra aparece pela primeira vez no Reino Unido e EUA em 1890 na Lippincott's. É editada em livro em 1891. A tradução do texto para o português, feita por João do Rio, circula no Brasil em folhetim no jornal A Noite, em 1911. A publicação em livro é feita pela Garnier, em 1923, após a morte do tradutor. A partir dessas informações, se faz relevante considerar alguns tipos de leituras que são possibilitadas nos dois casos. Para compreende-las, analisei dois aspectos ligados á estrutura do romance: o uso do narrador, pelo viés da narratologia de Genette, e a presença de descrições / Abstract: The purpose of this study is to compare the context of publication of the only novel by Oscar Wilde, \The Picture of Dorian Gray", in England and in Brazil. The work appears for the first time in UK and US in 1890 at Lippincott's. It is edited as a book in 1891. The translation of the text in Portuguese, by Joao do Rio, circulates in Brazil as feuilleton at the newspaper A Noite, in 1911. The publication as book is made by Garnier, in 1923, after the death of the translator. From this information, it is relevant to consider some types of readings enabled by these two cases. To understand them, I've analyzed two aspects concerning the structure of the novel: the use of the narrator, by bias of narratology of Genette, and the presence of descriptions / Mestrado / Historia e Historiografia Literaria / Mestra em Teoria e História Literária

Suite aux grands changements qui bousculèrent la société, la fin du dix-neuvième siècle fut une période de grande instabilité pour l’Angleterre. Les anxiétés créées par ces bouleversements se reflétèrent dans une prolifération de la littérature Gothique. Bien que le genre soit généralement étudié en relation avec la peur, ce mémoire soutient que le gothique tire son essence d’un large éventail d’émotions — et, tout particulièrement, de la honte. Étroitement liée à la notion de moralité, la honte est profondément ancrée dans les codes sociaux et les conventions. Dans une société aussi conservatrice et rigoureusement structurée que celle de la fin de la période victorienne, la honte révèle les conflits auxquels les individus faisaient face, ainsi que leur manière de les gérer. Pour comprendre les dynamiques de ces enjeux et les valeurs à leur fondement, ce mémoire explore trois romans importants de l’époque : The Picture of Dorian Gray, de Oscar Wilde, The Beetle, de Richard Marsh et The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde de Robert Louis Stevenson. En se concentrant particulièrement sur la figure du monstre gothique, cette étude considère deux types de honte : interne et externe. Tandis que le portrait de Dorian Gray illustre le conflit interne du protagoniste, la créature de The Beetle offre un exemple de honte externe comme châtiment; enfin, le double dans Jekyll and Hyde expose la mécanique de coexistence des hontes externe et interne. Au moyen de cet angle d’analyse, ce mémoire ouvre alors de nouvelles perspectives d’études sur la littérature gothique de la fin du dixneuvième siècle. / The end of the nineteenth century in England was a period of great instability as society experienced significant changes. These disruptions created anxieties, which were manifested in the proliferation of Gothic literature. While the Gothic genre is generally studied through the lens of fear, this thesis argues that it is governed by a range of affects, especially shame. Closely linked with morality, shame is deeply embedded in social codes and conventions. In a rigidly structured, conservative society such as that of late Victorian Britain, shame reveals much about the struggles that people faced and how they handled them. To understand the dynamics of these struggles and the values that underpinned them, this thesis explores three major novels from the fin de siècle period: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, The Beetle by Richard Marsh and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. With a particular focus on the figure of the Gothic monster, this study considers two different types of shame, internal and external. The portrait in Dorian Gray illustrates the internal conflict of the protagonist, while the creature in The Beetle offers an example of external shame as punishment. Meanwhile, the double in Jekyll and Hyde provides an opportunity to understand how internal and external shame coexist. In so doing, this thesis provides new insights into Gothic literature of the fin de siècle.

This thesis identifies strategies of queer/irony in the writings of Lord Byron, Heinrich Heine, Theodor Fontane, and Oscar Wilde. Key to the understanding of irony is Friedrich Schlegel's re-evaluation of the concept. The thesis establishes an approach to the multifaceted concept of irony and identify key concepts of queer theory. The focus, however, is close reading. First, Lord Byron's epic satire Don Juan is read with regards to the interplay of narrative strategies and the depiction of gender, homoeroticism and the concept of the child. Furthermore, reviews published at the time of the publication of Don Juan are examined: Why did the reviewers reject the work so violently? Second, in Heine's Buch der Lieder we find ironic strategies that Richard Rorty subsumed into the concept of 'final vocabularies.' By acknowledging the formulaic nature of language in general and Romantic tropes in particular, Heine succeeds in subverting a heteronormative discourse on love and desire. Heine's Reisebilder – 'Die Reise von München nach Genua' and 'Die Bäder von Lucca' – depict the limits of queer/irony: Where meaning is fixed, as in the case of the Platen polemic, irony loses its propensity to contain multitudes. Third, Theodor Fontane's novels of adultery are read against the background of irony as established through a Schlegelian reading of Frau Jenny Treibel and a queer reading of Ellernklipp. The novels Unwiederbringlich and Effi Briest question notions of truth and map the danger of knowledge. At the core of this chapter lies the notion of 'knowledge management,' a strategy closely related to irony. The figure of the courtier Pentz in Unwiederbringlich becomes a harbinger of dangerous, queer knowledge similar to the way Crampas' use of Heine quotations negotiates sexually suggestive knowledge in Effi Briest. In a final step, the aforementioned queer/ironic strategies are employed to read texts by Oscar Wilde. Are the strategies as inferred in the other chapters valid for Wilde's writings as well? We find that, in a time where homoerotic behaviour was heavily sanctioned, ironic writing had become a liability. Wilde's ironies are too opaque for the reader: They have become a movement where nobody is allowed to 'play along'.

Wong Nga-lai. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 108-112). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Acknowledgements --- p.i / Abstract --- p.ii-v / Introduction / Homosexuality: a sin versus a choice --- p.1 -5 / Chapter Chapter One --- Wilde and his sacrifices --- p.6 -38 / Chapter Chapter Two --- Forster and his private novel --- p.39 -70 / Chapter Chapter Three --- Rechy and his new order --- p.71-104 / Conclusion / Still a long way to go --- p.105 -107 / Selected Bibliography --- p.108-112