John M.L. Drew of the University of Buckingham introduces and annotates Wilde’s only novel, first published in 1890, a brilliantly designed puzzle meant to tease conventional minds with its exploration of the many interrelationships between art, life and consequence. From its provocative Preface, which dares the reader to believe in ‘art for art’s sake’, to its sensational conclusion, the story self-consciously experiments with the idea of sin as an element of design. Even Wilde underestimated the consequences of that experiment and its power to outrage the Victorian establishment: its words came back to haunt him during his court appearances in 1895, and he later recalled the ‘note of doom’ running like ‘a purple thread’ through its carefully crafted prose.
ISBN 13: 9781853260155
Author: Oscar Wilde
