The Dandies In Oscar Wilde's Comedies

Oscar Wilde (1854---1900) was the outstanding spokesman of aestheticism at the end of 19th century. He was a famous playwright, novelist, essayist, and poet. He devoted himself to the"Art for Art's Sake"movement, and had influenced the British literary field for the whole century. He began to show his writing talent very early and his plays are still performed successfully. But owing to the homosexual scandal, he and his works were not accepted by the literary circle. He fell down from the reputation to endless shame and suffering overnight and died in poverty and painful illness. As time goes on, the literary world began to take a new look at him and his works. Now Oscar Wilde not only became one of the members in the poet's corner in Westminster Abbey but also is accepted and welcomed by more readers.The thesis consists of three parts.Part one is the introduction, briefly introducing Oscar Wilde, research findings and critical responses to his plays at home and abroad.Part two, the body of the thesis, is composed of three chapters. Chapter one provides a general introduction to Epicureanism and the analysis of the rebellious dandies under Oscar's pen. The dandical world in Oscar's plays is a challenge to late Victorian world. Chapter two focuses on the various cynical dandies'life under the mask of Narcissism. Narcissistic dandies are the real embodiment of the aestheticism in the real life. Chapter three analyzes the dandies in the mask of Nihilism and how Wilde bitterly satirized the hypocrisy and degeneration of the bourgeoisie upper class.Part three, the conclusion, is mainly about analysis of Victorian morality, and then probes deeply into Wilde's belief of the hypocrisy of Victorian morality from different aspects and finally reaches the conclusion that Oscar Wilde's aim to create the rebellious dandies is to expose the hypocrisy of the upper class.