Abstract

As a representative of British Aestheticism Movement, Oscar Wilde wrote 9 fairy tales according to his aesthetic principle “art for art’s sake.” His fairy tales, which are regarded as tales for adults, act as a practice of his Aestheticism theory, showing his thoughts inside and posing a challenge to the traditional ethics and aesthetic conceptions. Different from traditional fairy tales, almost every tale of Wilde culminates in death. Concentrating on the theme of death in Wilde’s fairy tales and taking an analysis of his nine tales systematically, this thesis draws a conclusion that Wilde’s preference for death-motif is originated from his obsession with Greek tragedy classics and his religious faith for Christianity. Through those descriptions of death, Wilde exposes his criticism of the coldness of society and indifference of human beings, and expresses his praise for people’s kindness as well. 

KEYWORDS:Aestheticism; Oscar Wilde; fairy tales; death

摘　要

王尔德创作的童话故事，是其“为艺术而艺术”的美学思想的反映。他的童话被认为是“成人童话”，不仅是其唯美主义艺术主张的一种实践，也是他自我真实的一种展示，是对传统伦理与审美的一种挑战。不同于传统的童话，王尔德的童话几乎都以死亡为结局。关注于王尔德童话中的死亡主题，并通过对其9篇童话的系统分析，本文认为，王尔德对死亡主题的偏爱，主要源于其对古希腊传统悲剧的喜爱以及对于基督教的宗教信仰。凭借对死亡的描述，王尔德既表达了其唯美主义的独特美学观点，也表达了其对社会现实、人类冷漠的不满与批判和对美好人性的讴歌与期待。

关键词:唯美主义；王尔德； 童话； 死亡主题

1.1    The Emergence of Aestheticism: its Social and Cultural Backgrounds
Aestheticism, a trend of thought in the latter half of 19th century, came into being under the influences of the social economic conditions and cultural backgrounds of its time as other trends of thought in literature and art. The entire Europe, especially the Great Britain, experienced an unprecedented capitalistic economy after Industrial Revolution whereas a social upheaval in which a sense of venality left great impacts on common people at the same time. The booming development of industry and colonial expansion made the Victorian England extremely materialistic, regarding money is omnipotent. Educated people with conscience, including those later devoted themselves into Aesthetic Movement, were against this phenomenon with bitter hatred. Inspired by German classical aesthetics and influenced by Symbolism and Decadence in France, British Aesthetic Movement emerged, thus bringing a mood of cynicism and emphasizing aesthetic values over moral or social themes.