An original and energetic examination of the relationship between theology, faith, religious history and national politics in the works of Oscar Wilde, which focuses in particular on his life-long attraction to Catholicism. Wilde's Protestant heritage is also scrutinized, and its continued influence on him, as well as his antagonism towards it, is related to the narrative modes he chose and the philosophical positions he adopted.
Author(s): Jarlath Killeen
Year: 2005
Language: English
Pages: 240
Cover......Page 1
Contents......Page 8
Preface and Acknowledgements......Page 10
Introduction......Page 14
1 Child and Man: the Development of a Catholic Mind......Page 38
2 Faith and Reason: the Bible, the Catholic Church and Wilde’s Scandalous Writings......Page 57
3 Body and Soul: Nature, the Host and Folklore in The Picture of Dorian Gray......Page 92
4 Religion and Politics: Wilde’s Social Philosophy......Page 122
5 Art and Life: the Politics of Ritualism in The Importance of Being Earnest......Page 151
6 Realism and Romance: Between Protestantism and Catholicism in Wilde’s Final Writings......Page 175
Conclusion......Page 199
Notes......Page 203
Bibliography......Page 223
C......Page 235
G......Page 236
L......Page 237
P......Page 238
T......Page 239
W......Page 240
Z......Page 241
