Abstract

Oscar Wilde’s works was still the focus of attention of the Eastern and Western literature about a hundred years later after his death. Salome is Oscar Wilde’s one-act play and a world-renowned aestheticist drama. It is also his most special and the most important work. Salome was originally a tragic and pitiable woman, controlled by the patriarchal and royal oppression. People usually review it from the angle of aestheticism, and the heroine, Salome, is regarded as a woman with sadist lust desires and one seeking morbid beauty. But she dared to pursue the good things, to declare herself, and made good use of her own beauty to achieve her goals. Although her words and deeds are morbid and extreme, they reflect her strong feminine consciousness.

This paper is based on the research of feminine consciousness, and views it from the study of female character in the work. It analyses the feminine consciousness implied in the image of the heroine Salome, and to analyze Wilde’s awareness of women’s issues. This paper is divided into five parts. The first part gives a brief introduction to Wilde and his one-act play Salome, and at the same time, it also points out the purpose and significance of this paper. The second part is mainly the introduction to the definition, origin and development of feminine consciousness. And then it sums up scholars’ researches on Salome at home and abroad. The third part is to analyze the rise and development of feminine consciousness in the Victorian Age, and then find Oscar Wilde’s strong concern over women’s issues by the impact of society and his family. The fourth part is the most important part of this paper. Firstly, it is to analyze Salome’s character. By analyzing Salome’s anti-traditional pursuit of love, illustrating her independence and rebellion, and exploring Herodias’ bravery and independence in fighting for her daughter’s dignity, the paper reveals the strong feminine consciousness of them. The fifth part of this paper makes a summary. It is concluded that Salome contains a strong feminine consciousness, and Wilde made a great contribution to the development of feminine consciousness through his literary works and his social influence.

Key words: Wilde, Salome, feminine consciousness