Aestheticism in Literature

Aestheticism in literature: Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde was born on October 16th 1854, in Dublin, Ireland. He was a playwright and a poet and wrote one infamous novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891). Wilde was almost as well known for his flamboyance and witticisms as he was for his literary output. He was firmly at the forefront of the Aesthetic movement in the 19th century.

Both Oscar Wilde's parents were writers. His mother was a poet, and his father wrote non-fiction on top of being one of Ireland's leading surgeons. Oscar Wilde attended both Trinity College and Oxford and was considered an excellent scholar and poet, winning the Newdigate Prize in 1878. It was while at Oxford that Wilde was first inspired by Aestheticism, particularly through the teachings of Walter Pater.

Wilde's wit and flashy persona brought him much attention, some of which was not always positive. He was satirised by Punch Magazine and in a musical by Gilbert and Sullivan. Oscar Wilde thrived on the attention laid on him, good or bad, and in 1882 he toured the United States and Canada in search of more. Announcing upon arrival that he had 'nothing to declare but his genius'.¹

Fig. 2 - Oscar Wilde was at the forefront of the Aesthetic movement.

By 1884 Wilde was married and had two children. In 1888 Wilde published his first book, The Happy Prince and Other Tales (1888). It was Wilde's first foray into writing fiction. Two years later he published The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890) a key text in the Aesthetic movement which combined elements of decadent and gothic fiction. Wilde was most popular, however, as a playwright. He predominantly wrote social comedies like Lady Windermere's Fan (1892).

Wilde found further success with the plays A Woman of No Importance (1893) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895). Despite his success, Wilde could not help but court controversy. His relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas had upset the upper echelons of British society, particularly Douglas' father, who had accused Oscar Wilde of being a sodomite.

Many of Wilde's associates urged him to flee England but Wilde refused, believing that personal freedom would triumph over law. Despite his protestations, in 1895 Wilde was put on trial for indecency. He was found guilty and sentenced to be imprisoned in Reading Gaol for two years. After serving his sentence, Wilde left for France, bankrupt. He died suddenly from meningitis in 1900 in Paris, France.

Aestheticism in literature: Victorian culture

The Victorian era brought about great change with the rapid growth of industrialisation, which introduced mass production. Mass production meant that many items that were previously unavailable to the poor or working class now became affordable. This ready-made access marked a change in Victorian culture to accommodate a newfound audience. Theatre and literature became more melodramatic with clear lines between good and evil. It was also a period when the music hall flourished.

The accessibility of print media was aided not only by new means of production but also by the rising literacy rates of the population. Newspapers and magazines could be made quicker and would often feature fictional works in serial form. Since novels became more affordable, they began being more widely read. As a result, stories were written with the aim of exciting readers. Novels would reflect some of the more sensational stories found in newspapers, which often included tales of murder and mystery.

The thirst for excitement was proven by the popularity of high-octane tales written by the likes of Arthur Conan Doyle and Robert Louis Stevenson. Despite the abundance of thrilling tales demanded by audiences, much Victorian literature was influenced by morality. Writers and critics considered it important that works of fiction should be moralistic and even didactic. Aestheticism broke away from this belief, exemplified by their motto, 'art for art's sake'.

Aestheticism in literature: examples

Here we will take a look at some of the more famous examples of aesthetic literature.

The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890)

The most famous example of Aestheticism in literature is Oscar Wilde's novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. A story of a young man who sells his soul for eternal youth, a bargain that emphasises the theory of Aestheticism, valuing beauty over morality. The young man, Dorian Gray sees a portrait of himself and expresses a desire that the picture would age instead of him. The artist, Basil Hallward, decides to paint Dorian's portrait.

A friend of the artist decides to take Dorian under his wing and soon starts to corrupt young Dorian. As Dorian grows more corrupt and amoral, his portrait becomes more aged and hideous. The novel was largely reviled by the Victorian public upon its publication. The book was even used against Wilde when he was on trial. Despite the backlash at the time, the book has become an enduring classic of English literature which helped to secure Oscar Wilde's legacy.

'A Leave-Taking' (1866)

Written and published in 1866, Algernon Charles Swinburne's love poem is a dramatic monologue about the speaker's rejection from the lady they love. The monologue is not directed at another human but at the speaker's poetry itself. The title refers to the speaker's insisting that their verse take its leave of the lady for she no longer hears their song. The object of the speaker's desire is seemingly ignorant of their love. The poem is a lyric poem that is largely told in iambic pentameter. It consists of six stanzas of seven lines each.

'Vitae Summa Brevis' (1896)

Included in his famous collection, Poems and Ballads (1866), Ernest Dowson's brief poem is an ode to the fleeting nature of life. This is exemplified in the famous line, 'They are not long, the days of wine and roses'. The speaker here lamenting on the brevity of one's 'happy days'. The title is a shortened version of a line from Horace, which means, 'The brief sum of life denies us the hope of enduring long'. Dowson's poem can be seen as an elegy to the Aestheticism movement, written shortly after Oscar Wilde's imprisonment.

Aestheticism in literature: author examples

Having previously looked at the life and work of Oscar Wilde, the Irish writer has been omitted here. We will instead look at two other predominant writers from the Aesthetic movement.

Algernon Charles Swinburne

Born in London on 5th April 1837, Algernon Charles Swinburne was known predominantly as a poet, but also wrote plays, novels and criticism. A prolific writer, Swinburne even managed to contribute to the Encyclopaedia Brittanica. Like many of his aesthete peers, Swinburne cut a controversial figure. Swinburne often tackled subjects such as atheism, cannibalism and sadomasochism in his poetry.

Swinburne was born into a wealthy family and was educated at both Eton and Oxford University. While at Oxford, Swinburne met many of the Pre-Raphaelites, including Dante Gabriel Rosetti. Swinburne appeared to delight in shocking the wider public, often making outrageous claims about his private life. His most famous publication includes Poems and Ballads (1866), a poetry collection inspired by the Greek poet Sappho.

Ernest Dowson

Ernest Christopher Dowson was born in Kent, England in 1867. He was a novelist and a poet. Dowson is sometimes referred to as a decadent writer due to his young age and reputation, but the poet's work largely followed the ideals of the Aesthetic movement. His most renowned poetry appears to be inspired by one woman, who seemingly did not return his love. Dowson's poetry is almost more famous for the phrases within them, such as 'the days of wine and roses' and 'gone with the wind'.² Dowson spent the latter part of his life in poverty in France. He died at the age of 32 from tuberculosis.