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Transgressing Genre and Aesthetics: A Socio-historical Critique of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray
Anup Kumar Das
Abstract:
Known for his radical views on life and exploration of literary subcultures,Oscar Wilde was fascinated by the relationship between art and life, and the ways in which aesthetics can be used to enrich and improve ordinary human existence.Influenced by the philosophies of the movements such as Aestheticism and Decadence Wilde advocated for a life where pursuit of beauty, art and pleasure was at the centre of human life. Wilde used the form of the novel to explore philosophical and moral ideas about the nature of art, beauty and morality, rather than simply telling a straightforward narrative. Hismuch-celebratednovel The Picture of Dorian Gray blurs the line between fiction and philosophy.By juxtaposing the philosophical and moral themes with the fictional narrative, Wilde transcends the boundaries of traditional storytelling and delves into deeper intellectual and ethical territories.The present paper attempts to trace the cultural and spiritual journey of Wilde which has shaped his literary sensibility. With an in-depth textual analysis and a study of the socio-historical developments of the time the paper tries to engage with the ideas of hedonism and the other subcultural practices represented in the text.
Key words:Aestheticism, Decadence, Fiction, Genre, Catholicism.