From ‘yellow foam’ to ‘black serpents’
: Oscar Wilde and colour at the fin de siècle

  • Sharon Heather White

Student thesis: Doctoral ThesisDoctor of Philosophy

Abstract

This thesis develops the nascent field of Oscar Wilde and colour by mapping Wilde’s engagement with colour against debates about the nature of Wilde’s aestheticism and his involvement in the nineteenth–century marketplace. Through a historicist–informed, formalist reading of a selection of his poetry, prose, and drama from 1889 to 1894 it intervenes in discussions about Wilde’s aesthetic philosophy and his adherence to the tenets of various nineteenth-century art movements. It challenges viewpoints that have been made about Wilde’s espousal of aestheticism, Decadence, and Symbolism, and corresponding claims that have been made for the innovation and consistency of his approach to aesthetics. All too often Wilde’s creative practice is read as a working out of his theory in the Intentions essays, and his thought is annexed to various theoretical paradigms. The thesis argues that Wilde’s literary use of colour is far less radical and coherent than has hitherto been assumed. When read in light of the avant–garde aesthetics of the Pre-Raphaelites, aesthetes, French Decadents and Symbolists, the intricate use of colour in Wilde’s work appears relatively conventional, although there are occasions when he can fuse his conventionality with the avant garde to modern effect. By exploring the fin-de-siècle’s colour boom and Wilde’s polychromatic response to popular colour trends, the thesis also enhances our understanding of Wilde’s relationship with the marketplace.

Thesis is embargoed until 31 December 2028.

Date of AwardDec 2023
Original languageEnglish
Awarding Institution
  • Queen's University Belfast
SupervisorCaroline Sumpter (Supervisor) & Alex Murray (Supervisor)

Keywords

  • English literature
  • Oscar Wilde
  • colour
  • fin de siecle
  • aestheticism
  • decadence
  • symbolism
  • romanticism
  • symphony in yellow
  • The picture of Dorian Gray
  • salome
  • pen, pencil and poison
  • The fleshly poets
  • Swinburne
  • Rossetti
  • 19th Century Art
  • A rebours

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