Liberating The Sexed Body: Oscar Wilde Erodes Victorian Conventions As A New World Is Created In <i>The Importance Of Being Earnest</i>
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| Language: | English |
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Cleveland State University / OhioLINK
2013
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| Online Access: | http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=csu1395269953 |
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ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-csu13952699532021-08-03T06:22:50Z Liberating The Sexed Body: Oscar Wilde Erodes Victorian Conventions As A New World Is Created In <i>The Importance Of Being Earnest</i> Wulu, Amber Michaela Gender Studies Literature Womens Studies Oscar Wilde The Importance of Being Earnest heterosexual matrix sexed body new women dandy Ladys World Womans World womens issues gender roles performatives citations drag duplicity individualism tradition inversion bunburying <p>This essay examines the way in which Oscar Wilde's play <i>The Importance of Being Earnest </i>challenges Victorian conventionalist definition of sexuality in terms of gender. Wilde leads the charge against the structure of the heterosexual matrix by examining the extent to which gender regulates a person's identity, perception and future. It is imperative to apply alternate analysis on gay/queer theory to Wilde's work to show how the artist was one of the first to introduce audiences to the notion that gender is in actuality a construct. Several aspects of Wilde's literary career are ignored and critics do not recognize nor understand that the artist's works are the culmination of him addressing the crisis involving the conflict between gender and sexuality. Concepts that once explicitly defined male and female gender roles can no longer distinctly separate both binaries. </p><p>Wilde contends that gender is a performance of socially inscribed ideas of male and female behaviors and actions however, these distinct citations can and will overlap. What is important to note is that Wilde understands and illustrates that when overlapping occurs, opportunities for variance allows those that fell limited by the matrix the chance to define an identity of their own outside of categorization. Wilde defiantly questions the adherence to strict gender roles using parody to explore serious subject matter. As a revolutionary, the artist extends his defiance further by doing what no other artist of the time does and that is to align the new woman and the dandy making both allies of the same cause. Wilde predicts that women would aid in the disintegration of restrictive regulations.</p><p>By using the emerging strength, power, and influence of the new woman Wilde reveals the importance of allowing men and women equal opportunities within both the public and private spheres of life. This thesis demonstrates that even though everyone participates as active players in upholding contradictory constructs of the matrix not everyone willingly participates and follows along. Therefore, individual life experiences can be fulfilled once the hegemony of the heterosexual matrix is disrupted and exposed for the system of control for which it stands.</p> 2013 English text Cleveland State University / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=csu1395269953 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=csu1395269953 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws. |
| collection |
NDLTD |
| language |
English |
| sources |
NDLTD |
| topic |
Gender Studies Literature Womens Studies Oscar Wilde The Importance of Being Earnest heterosexual matrix sexed body new women dandy Ladys World Womans World womens issues gender roles performatives citations drag duplicity individualism tradition inversion bunburying |
| spellingShingle |
Gender Studies Literature Womens Studies Oscar Wilde The Importance of Being Earnest heterosexual matrix sexed body new women dandy Ladys World Womans World womens issues gender roles performatives citations drag duplicity individualism tradition inversion bunburying Wulu, Amber Michaela Liberating The Sexed Body: Oscar Wilde Erodes Victorian Conventions As A New World Is Created In <i>The Importance Of Being Earnest</i> |
| author |
Wulu, Amber Michaela |
| author_facet |
Wulu, Amber Michaela |
| author_sort |
Wulu, Amber Michaela |
| title |
Liberating The Sexed Body: Oscar Wilde Erodes Victorian Conventions As A New World Is Created In <i>The Importance Of Being Earnest</i> |
| title_short |
Liberating The Sexed Body: Oscar Wilde Erodes Victorian Conventions As A New World Is Created In <i>The Importance Of Being Earnest</i> |
| title_full |
Liberating The Sexed Body: Oscar Wilde Erodes Victorian Conventions As A New World Is Created In <i>The Importance Of Being Earnest</i> |
| title_fullStr |
Liberating The Sexed Body: Oscar Wilde Erodes Victorian Conventions As A New World Is Created In <i>The Importance Of Being Earnest</i> |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Liberating The Sexed Body: Oscar Wilde Erodes Victorian Conventions As A New World Is Created In <i>The Importance Of Being Earnest</i> |
| title_sort |
liberating the sexed body: oscar wilde erodes victorian conventions as a new world is created in <i>the importance of being earnest</i> |
| publisher |
Cleveland State University / OhioLINK |
| publishDate |
2013 |
| url |
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=csu1395269953 |
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AT wuluambermichaela liberatingthesexedbodyoscarwildeerodesvictorianconventionsasanewworldiscreatedinitheimportanceofbeingearnesti |
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