Pavilioned on nothing : nihilism and its counterforces in the works of Oscar Wilde
Abstract
This thesis explores the role of Nihilism in Oscar Wilde's thought and writing, beginning
with the depiction of Russian Political Nihilism in Wilde's first play; Vera, or the Nihilists
and tracing the engagement with philosophical Nihilism in his fiction, drama and essays, up
to and including De Profundis. It is argued that Russian Political Nihilism derives from the
same sources and expresses the same concerns as the philosophical Nihilism discussed by
Nietzsche in The Will to Power, and that Nietzsche and Wilde, working independently, came
to a strikingly similar understanding of Nihilism. Philosophical Nihilism is defined in two
ways; as the complete absence of values (Absolute Nihilism) and as a sense that, while
absolute values may exist, they are unattainable, unknowable or inexpressible (Relative
Nihilism). Wilde uses his writing to express Nihilism while simultaneously seeking aesthetic
and ethical counterforces to it, eventually coming to see Art and the life of the Artist as the
ultimate forms of resistance to Nihilism.
Wilde's philosophical views are examined in the context of his time, and in the light of his
exceptionally wide reading. He is compared and contrasted with Nietzsche, the philosopher
who has done most to shape our view of what Nihilism means, in his ethical and aesthetic
response to Nihilism. The conclusion also considers the reception of Wilde's expression of
Nihilism and his employment of Art as the only superior counterforce in the first half of the
twentieth century, with particular reference to the works of Gide and Proust. Their
engagement with Nihilism is explored both in historical context and as a way of addressing a
problem which has become uniquely pervasive and pressing in the modern era.
Type
Thesis, PhD Doctor of Philosophy
Rights
Embargo Date: 2028-04-26
Embargo Reason: Thesis restricted in accordance with University regulations. Electronic copy restricted until 26 April 2028
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