Oscar Wilde: Life, Literature, and Themes, Schemi e mappe concettuali di Inglese

Scarica Oscar Wilde: Life, Literature, and Themes e più Schemi e mappe concettuali in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! OSCAR WILDE (1854-1900) LIFE: Oscar Wilde wa born on 16 october 1854 in Dublin intellectual - excellent education he was the embodiment of the dandy→ Dorian Gray EXPONENT OF THE AESTHETIC MOVEMENT The motto was Art pur Art or Art for Art's sake.It highlighted the centrality of beauty and art in the life of man. Art has no moral purpose, it exists only for the sake of its beauty. Oscar Wilde's motto was Make of your life a work of art, as he argued that life should be inspired by art he believed in the liberation of the senses (left aside during the Victorian Age) LEGAL CASE,1895 Wilde was in a homosexual relationship, which was considered a crime in England at the time and punished with imprisonment or death. he was accused by Lord Douglas and his case was took to court during the trial some evidence were presented and he was sentenced to hard labor in Reading Gaol THE BALLAD OF READING GAOL, 1898 it’s his last work Wide writes it after his time spent in prison STORY The work doesn't speak about him, but about other prisoners and their suffering: these men, despite being in prison, have feelings and they suffer. Wilde is walking in the yard with other prisoners, when he sees the soul in pain of Charles Thomas Wooldridge, a man convicted for the murder of his wife. Someone behind him tells him ‘’That fellows got to swing’’, so Charles was going to be hanged for his crime. Wilde reacts exclaiming ‘’Dear Christ’': he feels pain, but not his own, but Charles' pain. Then, Wilde describes the prison and their daily activities there: they were rejected from the world but God had forgiven them. The rest of the poem describes the funeral of Wooldridge.He was killed like a beast and his body was treated inhumanely: it was hidden in a hole, given to the flies, the guards laughed at his dead body. It didn't have a proper burial either. it was covered in lime, and none did a ceremony or put a sign of religion like a cross. The poem is concluded with an explicit criticism of capital punishment. THEMES - loss - imprisonment Wilde was separate from everything and everyone he loved during this dark period of his life and those emotions come through in the text. He focuses, through repetition, on how men inevitably destroy what they love. THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY 1890 set in London, in the upper middle class his about people who don't have to work for a living PLOT: It tells the story of a rich, very handsome young man, Dorian Gray who gets his portrait painted by Basil Halward (an artist who shares with Wilde the concept of the centrality of beauty in life). Lord Henry Wotton visits his friend Basil, and he sees the painting in his studio. He asks Basil to meet the boy, although Basil is reluctant. Eventually, the three meet. Lord Wotton introduces Dorian to luxury and pleasure, affecting him negatively. He decides to sacrifice his soul to maintain his youth and beauty. while the portrait itself will bear all the signs of time, that’s why he hides it For 25 years Dorian lives a life of excess causing scandals and corruption becoming a role model for Loncon's high society He falls in love with Sybil, a poor actress, but the story ends badly, he's responsible for her death. Basil sees the portrait and discovers Dorian’ secret. so he kills him At the end Dorian decides to slab the portrait causing its own death and transforming himself into an horrible old man while the portrait returns to its original beauty. MORAL LESSON you can't escape reality allegorical story of a young man who sells his soul to the devil in order to have endless beauty and timeless youth THEMES - corrupted society (superficial values, materialist than to moral virtues or universal human values) - excess ( every excess must be punished) - hypocrisy ( he has double life, he seems innocent) - corruption ( Dorina’s sins had lead to his own destruction) a foundling; he was found in a handbag, in the cloak-room of Victoria Station in London, by Mr. Thomas Cardew. He brought Jack with him and gave him the name of Worthing because he had a first class ticket for Worthing (place in the seasort, Sassex) Algemon, who's also Gwendolen's cousin, has invented an imaginary friend, Bunbury. He discovers that Jack has a double life: he goes to the countryside and there he meets the pretty Cecily. Jack's young ward, falling in love with her at first sight. After a series of misunderstandings revolving around the name Ernest (in English the name is written without an a; Wilde thus creates a pun on the word 'earnest' which means serious of mind and intention). It's discovered that Jack and Algeron are brothers. All the misunderstandings are cleared and the two couples can finally marry. A NOTABLE INTERROGATION It's a dialogue between Lady Bracknell and Jack about his marriage proposal to Gwendolen. Lady Bracknell asks Jack many questions about him and his life 1. smoke - he smokes and she is "glad to hear it, because a man should always have an occupation in life 2. age - he's 29 3. education - he says "I know nothing" and she's pleased, she consider ingerisce like an exotic fruit 4. wealth between seven and eight thousand a year in investments 5. the location of his house -, he has 2 houses: one in London, Belgrave square (center of London), and one in the country 6. politics - (tories and whigs) he is a Liberal Unionist, she says that he counts as a Tories (conservative) 7. parents -> "I have lost both my parents*, he's a foundling 8. birth - he doesn't know about it The most important thing for Lady Bracknell is money THEMES: irony - social critique At the end she declares he's not the right man for her daughter because his origins are unknown. JAMES JOYCE (1882-1941) Irish novelist, poet and literary critic one of the most influential and important writers of the 20th century contribution to the modernism avant-agard STYLE -exponent of modernism -no chronological order the begging is in medias res -POV of one single characterù - direct internal monologue 3 main elements 1. use of the stream of consciousness technique - enters the protagonist mind and allows the reader to follows his thoughts and sensations 2. epiphany - only potential way to escape - moments in which the character experience the sudden revelation of their condition of paralysis or maybe only the reader may be aware of it- this revelation doesn't make any real changes, it just makes the characters aware of their condition 3. Ireland - paralyzed country, colony if Britain, catholic country (oppressive religion), poor country - there's no escape IRELAND -his works express the author's complex relationship of love and hate with Ireland -he represents Ireland with a certain objectivity - paralyzed country→ dominated by stagnation and stasis -main source of inspiration for Joyce's character and places DUBLINERS 1914 collection of 15 short stories written written during his permanence in Trieste naturalistic style every story narrate the life of 1 typical inhabitant of Dublin and represent and ideal portrait of the city Dublin→static and provincial town, the inhabitants are stuck in a city which doesn't give them the chance to grow MAIN THEMES childhood - sense of disillusionment and failure adulthood - man impossibility to escape from suffering, passivity of Irish people sterile relationship between Irish individuals and collective institutions (Church, politics) CHARACTERS they have a desire, they try to fulfill their lives at the end they give up because they don't have the will to make a change condition of inaction called paralysis - not just physical but also a spiritual lack of growth→ spiritual and physical death Epiphany is the only potential way to escape. moments in which the character experience the sudden revelation of their condition of paralysis and this revelation doesn't make any real changes, it just makes the characters aware of their condition STYLE -both third-person omniscient narrator and first-person -free direct speech and thought - stream of consciousness technique EVELINE talks about adulthood set in her house It begins in media res.She Started remembering her happy childhood, during which she used to play with other children. She's looking around, at her dusty house, to the yellowing photo then she describes the present - she's a shop assistant, she was left alone with her father, who turned into a violent person, and two siblings she has to take care of She thinks about her future, she wants to leave the city and goes to Buenos Ayres with Frank. Even though it's a hard life, she doesn't find it a wholly undesirable life Style this part is narrated in 1st person (Eveline) and third person narrator use of the stream of consciousness technique Symbols of paralysis - dusty cretonne - little brown houses - broken harmoniam- chin Dogsedet colonization-man from Belfast Catholicism- priest ULYSSES 1922 written during his permanence in Zurich his masterpiece contemporary epic poem - heroism has disappeared and sterility dominates different vision of daily life, political discussion, reflection in human condition PLOT He reproduces the structure of Homer's Odyssey -the 18 chapters are inspired from the similar episodes contained in the Greek epic -poem the actions take place in one single, 16 June 1904 -3 character: Stephen Dedalus - The Telemachiad - Leopold Bloom - The Odyssey - Leopold and his wife Molly - Nostos Leopold represents Ulysses, Stephen the son Telemachus and Molly Penelope. Leopold wanders through the city like Odysseus - ordinary person's daily life the story finishes with Molly monologue which describes her live and acceptance of her husband STYLE -use of the stream of consciousness technique -rude and freak language and themes