초록 열기/닫기 버튼
This paper examines how, in the late 19th century, Thomas Mann (1875-1955) and Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) were both not only involved with the role of the artist and the heightened social consciousness of homosexuality but also critically aware of each other as contemporary writers. Whereas Mann struggled to find a personal balance between the two extremes of social order and the philosophy of aestheticism, Wilde chose to pursue his often shocking and impulsive desires which are vividly captured in The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891). In his novel, Wilde narrates a dark and tragic story of how the male protagonist chooses a life of deceit and evil in pursuit of absolute youth and beauty, which is seen as a premonition of how the author’s life ends. Wilde voluntarily exiles himself from England after being imprisoned for gross indecency with men and ends his life destitute and alone in Paris. In comparison to Wilde’s course of life and his literary works, Mann embraced the ideology of aestheticism with caution and moderation because it was strongly associated with being demoralized and because it instigated its believers towards homosexuality. In this paper, therefore, I focus on Mann’s accurate and significant criticism of Wilde and how he advised Wilde, both as author and as contemporary writer, to redirect his artistic literary skills to better means of social order.
키워드열기/닫기 버튼
Thomas Mann, Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, aestheticism, homosexuality
