The Faiths of Oscar Wilde: Catholicism, Folklore and Ireland (Palgrave Studies in Nineteenth-Century Writing and Culture)

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. "This energetic and original book examines in detail the relationship between faith, theology, religious history and national politics in the major writings of Oscar Wilde. It focuses in particular on Wilde's lifelong attraction to Catholicism, an attraction originating in his time spent as a boy in the west of Ireland. Killeen also closely examines the influence of Wilde's Protestant heritage on his work: his antagonism towards this heritage is closely related to the narrative modes he chose to work in, and the aesthetic philosophy he espoused. Overall, the book demonstrates how Wilde combined his religious leanings with a reconfiguration of Nationalism, while an Irish 'exile' in London. For Wilde, Catholicism and Irish Nationalism were interdependent projects that operated as the fields of force energising his writing. Providing an entirely fresh critical perspective on his writing (including The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Importance of Being Earnest), this new study will be of interest to all students and scholars of Wilde."--Jacket This energetic and original book examines in detail the relationship between faith, theology, religious history and national politics in the major writings of Oscar Wilde. It focuses in particular on Wilde's lifelong attraction to Catholicism, an attraction originating in his time spent as a boy, in the West of Ireland. Killeen also closely examines the influence of Wilde's Protestant heritage on his work: his antagonism towards this heritage is closely related to the narrative modes he chose to work in, and the aesthetic philosophy he espoused. Overall, the book demonstrates how Wilde combined his religious leanings with a reconfiguration of Nationalism, while an Irish 'exile' in London. For Wilde, Catholicism and Irish Nationalism were inter-dependent projects that operated as the fields of force energising his writing. Providing an entirely fresh critical perspective on his writing, (including The Picture of Dorian Grey, The Importance of Being Earnest), this new study will be of interest to all students and scholars of Wilde 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 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 scrutinised, 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.