ENGL1916

The Fin de Siècle, the decade from 1890 to 1900, remains one of the most dynamic and transformative of modern times, opening with Oscar Wilde's celebrity and closing with the scandal of his disgrace, imprisonment, and death. In taking into account the great anxiety over decadence and degeneration, not to mention the "sex question" evident in Wilde's trials, this course aims at a "slice of life," horizontally and vertically, over a period that also witnessed technological wonders (cinema, x-rays, airplanes), revolutions in music and fashion, and the publication of such sensational fictions as The Time Machine and Dracula. All of these, along with Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray and Salomé, will occupy our discussions in class, in short reflection papers, and in a more formal interpretive analysis. The aim of the course is to provide a challenging and useful introduction to the enormous cultural shifts of the decade that resonate in the present moment and that make Wilde a continuing figure of great cultural debate and significance.

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