Chemnitz University of Technology Anglistische Literaturwissenschaft/ English Literature(s) Department   English Literature(s)     SS 02     Oscar Wilde

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Oscar Wilde Choose linkLinks Course Description   In recent years Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)  has become an icon of popular culture and cultural history in general, not only as the figure-head of (homo-)sexual liberation, but also of 'camp' in general. We will look  at Wilde not only as a social 'rebel', but also as the  self-styled 'Prince of Paradoxes'. By adopting a historical  perspective we will try to understand the 'Wilde phenomenon'  as an extended polemic against the conventions of Victorian  society as well as a manifestation of fin de siècle decadence and the aesthetics of l'art pour l'art. Apart  from the obvious necessity to study Wilde's biography in detail, our survey will range over a variety of genres, e.g. essays ("The Portrait of Mr. W.H.," "The  Decay of Lying"), poetry (The Ballad of Reading Gaol, 1898), fiction (The Picture of Dorian Gray, 1890), and drama (The Importance of Being Earnest, 1895). Prerequisite: Einführungskurs Literaturwissenschaft  (Klausur) Required reading:  Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest. Ed Manfred Pfister. Stuttgart: Reclam, 2000. (= Reclams Fremdsprachentexte  # 9267). Copies are available from UNIVERSITAS Buchhandlung. Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. Ed E.-M. König. Stuttgart: Reclam, 2000. (= Reclams Fremdsprachentexte  # 9019). Copies are available from UNIVERSITAS Buchhandlung. Additional material (xerox copies) will be available in Room  Rh 39/213 (Mrs. Podsiadly) from 1 March onwards. In order to facilitate the distribution of such  material students are asked to register for this seminar before 15 February. Links:   Link   Description   Rating   Posted by               Oscar  Wilde - Ode an ein Genie     An excellent page containing several biographies, his life, works (in full, plain e-text), pictures, remarks on several contemporary films about Wilde and his works, and other material. This site is very extensive and  a real pleasure - state of the art!   Content: 5 Layout: 5 Speed: 4   P               CELT:  Chronology of Oscar Wilde     A  well-made page presenting a short time-lined biography of Oscar Wilde as well as an e-text  archive of his works (novels, short stories,  plays, essyas etc.). All works are plain text with background information included. Note: Use the links presented below the  headline to navigate the Wilde part of this site.   Content: 5 Layout: 3 Speed: 5   P               THE  OSCHOLARS     "An  Electronic Journal for the Exchange of Information  on Current Research, Publications and Productions concerning Oscar Wilde and his Circle.",  i.e. a massive body of online documents.   Content: 5 Layout: 3 Speed: 3   P               OSCAR  WILDE RESOURCES ON THE WORLD-WIDE WEB     An annotated list of links. This site might  be most interesting for its collection of  Wilde’s works online.   Content: 4 Layout: 3 Speed: 4   P               Monty  Python's Oscar Wilde Scetch     A  short sketch about the importance of being ernest when confronted with a member of  the royal family. Plain text.   Content: 4 Layout: 3 Speed: 4   P               oscariana     Describing the life and times of Wilde. Rather tiresome  to read as the only means of navigation  is back/forth provided at the bottom of  the page.   Content: 5 Layout: 1 Speed: 3   P               What Oscar Wilde taught me about CEOs.(a fan  of Oscar Wilde describes his misfortune in trying to emulate Wilde's wit in a business environment)     As the title has it: A two-page article about  the difficult relationship of the modern business world and Wildean text. (Please  compare: "Power Plays : Shakespeare's  Lessons in Leadership and Management"by  John O. Whitney and Tina Packer)   Content: 3 Layout: 3 Speed: 3   P               Humorous Quotes attributed to Oscar Wilde     Has  some 30 quotes by Wilde. Plain text. Note:  Turn on Javascript on to make it easier to read the quotes.   Content: 2 Layout: 3 Speed: 4   P               Wild about Wilde. (Oscar Wilde in contemporary entertainment)     A  four-page article discussing an alternative  interpretation of the life - especially the downfall - of Oscar Wilde in contemporary  film and literature. Plain text.   Content: 4 Layout: 3 Speed: 3   P

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