The Theme of the Double and Its Relevance to Oscar Wilde's Fiction

• Main Authors: Ya-Wen Wu, 吳雅雯
• Other Authors: Jeff Salyer
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2008
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/07229876895382443256

碩士 === 立德大學 === 應用英語研究所 === 96 === In this thesis, I explore the concept of the double, especially as it figures in Oscar Wilde's works. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), an Irish playwright, poet, and critic, was an outstanding figure in dramatic circles in the nineteenth century. His most successful and influential works are plays, especially comedies. Lady Windermere's Fan (1892), A Woman of No Importance (1893), An Ideal Husband (1895), and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) are his representative comedies. In chapter one, I examine the concept of the double by researching its etymological meaning. Then I classify the double into various types: moral, psychological, physical, and comic, and I provide some instances where it appears in literature to see how the doubles work, and to research its differences and application through these various doubles. Chapter two deals with the theoretical understanding of the double by analyzing Freud's essay “The Uncanny” and his psychoanalytic theories of id, ego, superego, alter ego, and repression; here I also make reference to the idea of ambivalence as found in Totem and Taboo. And from this anchor, I try to analyze the causes of various doubles and their functions. Chapter three and four, applications to Wilde, tells us how Wilde applied the double in his works. Chapter three develops the double in Wilde’s comic plays like The Important of Being Earnest and Lady Windermere's Fan. In the former play, the double concerns the creation of a fake name as an example of hypocrisy. It is about the art of lying, and how lying has become a necessary element of social life. The latter example centers on hypocrisy, too, but gives us further illustration. Chapter four is devoted to The Picture of Dorian Gray, which contrasts with the plays in that the double takes on a sinister aspect. It reflects the comparison between reality and appearance by using the symbol of a magical painting. In conclusion, I wrap up my research into the nature of the double by trying to find a logic to Wilde's own theory of the double.