On Feminist Spirit In Oscar Wilde's Works

Oscar Wilde is a genius of the English literary world. He is famous for his amusing paradox and exotic outfit. He was one of the most radical aesthetes who demonstrated "art for art's sake" in the late Victorian Age. His multi-identities as a writer, a homosexual, an aesthete, a feminist, a socialist in a sense and the most important one—the unique egoist demonstrate his closeness with us other than his contemporaries. Until now, research papers on Wilde can be divided into four categories:1,Oscar Wilde was first revived in biographies or memoirists written by his friends and then scholars who took interest in studying his life and works.2,Major critical studies focus on Oscar Wilde's dandyism and homosexuality. Most radical essays are written to discuss Wilde in light of gender theory and culture study nowadays. 3,Recently, Oscar Wilde's "creative criticism" has been taken moreseriously than before.4,Studying Wilde has a long tradition in China since Tian Han first introduced his Salome in China at the beginning of last century. Professor Zhou Xiaoyi in Peking University does an excellent interpretation of Oscar Wilde's aestheticism in terms of consumer culture.As far as Oscar Wilde's women characters are concerned, critics seldom analyze them intensively except for Salome. In this essay, I focus on discussing some of the women characters in his major works and try to show how the feminist spirit lightens these masterpieces. The movement of women's emancipation started in the Victorian Age. It was an age when the role of women developed from "self-sacrifice" to "self-awareness". New women were not satisfied with being the "Angel in the house". They started to find access to self-development and self-expression. Traditional feminine virtues, such as patience, obedience and tolerance, which were highly praised by John Ruskin, gave way to self-confidence and independence. Being deeply influenced by new women like his mother, his wife and the great French actress Sarah Bernhardt, Oscar Wilde supported the change of women's role in society. He was a feminist who sympathized with women sincerely.Five parts form this thesis. Part One gives some background information about the Victorian Age, a brief view of Oscar Wilde's life and works, and three women—Lady Wilde, Constance and Sarah Bernhardt—who had great influence on him. Part Two traces the process of Salome's Metamorphosis from the Bible to various literary and artistic works, and then focuses on the topic of anti-fetish and gender puzzle in Wilde's Salome. Part Three is devoted to the analysis of two mothers who had a past: Mrs. Erlynne and Mrs. Arbuthnot. By comparing the difference between attitudes held by Wilde and the Victorians toward "fallen woman", I intend to illustrate Wilde's feminist morals. Part Four discusses three girls in Wilde's works: Cecily, Gwendolen and Sibyl. I want to prove the eagerness of "self-fulfillment" and "self-expression" in them. Part Five is the conclusion summarizing the whole thesis.The women characters created by Wilde are independent, intelligent, romantic and passionate. They are more rebellious, free minded and have a stronger sense of self-awareness compared with those in other Victorian master writers' works. By analyzing the "fatal woman" Salome as well as the mother figures and maidens in his major works, I try to reveal his identity as a feminist and how the feminist spirit enlightens his works. I will be very glad if this paper could intrigue some more serious feminist study on Oscar Wilde's works.