An Analysis Of Oscar Wilde’s Salome From The Perspective Of Aestheticism

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) is one of the most important and most controversialfigures in the19thcentury, whose works and life experience have fully illustrated thetheory of aestheticism. He is the transitional writer, who bridges the gap betweenRomanticism and Modernism, for he embodies the qualities of both idealism andexperimentalism. Salome is a vital work for Wilde, best illustrating his idea ofaestheticism. Aestheticism is the key to understanding Wilde’s work Salome, in whichthe theory of aestheticism is fully practiced and the beauty of imagination is reflected inthe drama. The one-act drama Salome is based on a biblical story in which a Jewishprincess obtains the head of John the Baptist for her mother Herodias the queen. InWilde’s version, the focus switches from the mother to the daughter and the latterexperiences a rapid transition form a pure chaste girl to a lustful aggressive woman. Thetension between love and hatred and the highly decorative language make this aestheticliterary work as the cornerstone in literature field, which influences a lot of writersthereafter. This thesis is analyzed from the perspective of aestheticism and enriches thefurther studies of Oscar Wilde and his theories.The thesis is made up of3parts. Introduction gives a brief presentation of literaryreview and shows the significance and value of the experiential learning. Chapter onefocuses on the theoretical basis of the analysis of Salome from the aspects of the origin,development and connotation of aestheticism. Chapter two delves into the aestheticembodiment of the main characters in Salome. Through the author’s research, it is found that the4major figures represent the totally different aesthetes. Salome is the typical“femme fatale” figure. Jokanaan represents the aesthete pursuing morality. King Herodis a dangling aesthete between desire and morality. The Syrian soldier is the impotentaesthete. Chapter three discusses the aesthetic value of the figures of speech from theaspects of symbolism, repetition and synesthesia. Conclusion makes a concise summaryof this thesis and contends that the reason why Salome becomes the representative workof aestheticism is that it fully illustrates the principle of “art for art’s sake” and “thebeauty of form is the primary pursuit for aesthetes”. The death of Salome, Jokanaan andSyrian solider is also an implication that aestheticism will surely be on the wane quicklyand Wilde is doomed to be deserted by the Victorian society. From this point, Salomealso reiterates Wilde’s insistence that it’s not art that imitates life, but life imitates artand Wilde’s life tragedy can also prove it.