First Advisor

Goodwin, Janna

Reader

Howe, J. Thomas

College

Regis College

Degree Name

BA

School

Regis College Senior Honors Program

Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Comments

Communication

Number of Pages

42 pages

Abstract

Oscar Wilde was a renowned dandy and prominent spokesman of the Aesthetic Movement in the late 1800s who strove to live his life like a work of art. However, Wilde's life took a drastic turn after he was imprisoned for acts of sodomy. Thus, The Picture of Dorian Gray, written by Oscar Wilde in the heyday of his academic career, can be contrasted against Wilde's "De Profundis," a letter written during his imprisonment, to provide a portrait of the author's transformed philosophy of a beautiful life. Following his loss of face, status and position in society, Wilde rages from his jail cell at his former lover and eventually changes his entire worldview. My paper discusses the impmtance of symbols to generate meaning, compares the semiotics and aesthetics in both works and considers how Wilde's transformed view of aesthetics is relevant in today's appearance obsessed society.

Date of Award

Spring 2015

Location (Creation)

Colorado (state); Denver (county); Denver (inhabited place)

Rights Statement

All content in this Collection is owned by and subject to the exclusive control of Regis University and the authors of the materials. It is available only for research purposes and may not be used in violation of copyright laws or for unlawful purposes. The materials may not be downloaded in whole or in part without permission of the copyright holder or as otherwise authorized in the “fair use” standards of the U.S. copyright laws and regulations.

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