Date of Award
Spring 4-29-2016
Document Type
Honors Project
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
English, Linguistics, and Communication
First Advisor
Foss, Chris
Major or Concentration
English
Abstract
Typically considered a proto-feminist, Wilde occasionally lets slip a conservative ideology in his adherence to traditional gender binaries within the confines of the romantic sphere. The internalized binary set Wilde most heavily employs in certain writings relates to Artifice/Reality, where men are associated with Artifice and women with Reality. In specific scenes of The Picture of Dorian Gray, An Ideal Husband and The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde explores romantic dynamics under the duress of the genders' diverging preference for elements of deception and artificiality in heteronormative romantic relationships. This scheme inherently reinforces the patriarchy and sexism of the Victorian age by the nature of its engendered roles. When a couple's conflict reaches a detente or conclusion, the men tend to regain the position of control in the relationship, serving to simultaneously restore Victorian ideals of male dominance and female adherence to morality, complicating Wilde's reputation as a proto-feminist.
Recommended Citation
Cote, Rachel, "The Closet Conservative: Oscar Wilde's Inadvertent Adherence to Traditional Gender Roles" (2016). Student Research Submissions. 71.
https://scholar.umw.edu/student_research/71