不彻底的唯美主义者

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1、广西师范大学 硕士学位论文 不彻底的唯美主义者论奥斯卡王尔德的艺术道德观 姓名：周萍 申请学位级别：硕士 专业：英语语言文学 指导教师：陆小虹 20070401 iii 不彻底的唯美主义者不彻底的唯美主义者 -论奥斯卡王尔德的艺术道德观论奥斯卡王尔德的艺术道德观 2004 级研究生：周萍 导师：邱仪、陆小红副教授 专业：英语语言文学 研究方向：英美文学 中文摘要中文摘要 奥斯卡王尔德(Oscar Wilde,18541900)，出生于爱尔兰的文学家，在诗歌、戏剧、童话、 小说、文艺评论等诸多领域都独有建树。然而由于他用惊世骇俗的言论、生活方式向维多利亚 道德思想体系挑战，生活上的放荡不羁，在

2、1895 年因同性恋纠纷，以有伤风化罪判刑两年，一 度身败名裂，成为英国文学史上备受争议的人物，他的价值直到去世之后五十年才广为文坛接 受和承认。 论文综合地观照王尔德这位具有多面性的作家及其思想和创作， 探索他的艺术道德观。 王尔 德是唯美主义的集大成者，博取各家之说，形成了自己的唯美主义艺术观，并在一部分的文学 作品中加以体现，因而产生了广泛的影响。作为英国唯美主义的代表人物，他以生活艺术化为 原则，无视维多利亚时代的道德禁忌，追求美，引导美的潮流。王尔德不仅在自己的服饰、装 饰、语言表达以及行为举止等生活的各方面把日常生活艺术化，成为纨绔主义的杰出代表，而 且将纨绔主义艺术反映到了作品当

3、中，塑造了丰富的花花公子形象。实际上，王尔德在纨绔子 玩世不恭的面具下，他揭露并讥讽上流社会的虚伪与堕落。这种独特的生活方式使得生活在上 流阶层的王尔德能够自由表达对维多利亚时代的反叛，并拒斥与虚伪之辈同流合污。 此外，正如许多批评家所指出的，王尔德是个充满矛盾和悖论的作家。一方面，他鄙视上流 社会的虚伪与丑恶，另一方面，他又依赖上流社会的舞台来展示自己作为唯美主义者和纨绔子 的种种思想和生活态度。一方面，他或多或少接受莫里斯的生活美化思想，希望从艺术方面谋 求社会的改造，以优美的艺术品来促进和谐的道德及社会环境。通过艺术化的日常生活使人们 养成对美的热爱，而这种美的气质一旦形成，人们就会自然

4、择善而从，摒除粗俗的不和谐的东 西，以其准确的判断力斥恶扬善，追求美好的东西；另一方面，他也深受佩特的唯美观点的影 响。佩特认为艺术与伦理思想格格不入，艺术的目的在于培养人的美感，寻求美的享受，在于 “给予你的片刻时间以最高的质量” 。这种对于美的超功利性、主观性及享乐性的强调给予王尔 德极大的影响及灵感。因此，王尔德并非一个坚定的唯美主义者，在受佩特“艺术至上”思想 影响，主张“为艺术而艺术”的同时，他也在创作中有意无意地表现出了“为人生而艺术”的 思想。在探求艺术真理的过程中，王尔德经历了彷徨甚至自我否定的艺术探索。他的美学思想 与创作实践中也的确存在着矛盾性，然而并不能说因此而削弱了其艺

5、术思想及作品的价值。通 过对其美学探索历程的深入分析，我们可以更为准确了解及和评价王尔德及当时的唯美主义。 在他的文学批评中， 王尔德坚决反对艺术创作有任何的功利目的， 主张艺术家应该有绝对自 由来创造“纯美”。他强调艺术的独立性，反对艺术的功利性，主张艺术不受道德的约束。“艺术 家是美的作品的创造者。艺术家没有伦理上的好恶。书无所谓道德不道德。一切艺术都是毫无 iv 用处的。” “艺术除了表现它自身之外，不表现任何东西。它和思想一样，有独立的生命，而 且纯粹按自己的路线发展。 ” 在他的演讲及文学批评中，他强调艺术的超功利性，认为艺术与 道德属于截然不同的范畴。然而他的美学主张和创作实践远非

6、超道德的，生活在道德敏感的维 多利亚时代的王尔德有着深刻的道德关怀。 他本人的作品也并不都能体现他的唯美主义艺术观， 其中有相当一部分作品都是入世的。例如在他的童话中，他创造了一个美好的世界，有着明显 的道德寓意。美、爱、快乐及奉献都是反复出现的主题，体现了对传统道德的继承。在道连 格雷的画像中，通过亨利和霍华德这两个蕴含两种完全不同的价值观的人物的交流与冲突以 及他们对格雷的影响，表现了王尔德的道德关怀和剖析社会人生的严肃态度。在社会喜剧中， 王尔德表达自己独特的道德思考。一方面他揭露并抨击了晚期维多利亚社会的虚伪道德，另一 方面也表现出他主张宽容的思想。他反对中产阶级推崇的严苛的道德标准和

7、虚伪的美德, 强调 精神的自由和追求个人幸福的权利，他认为当时上流社会的道德标准过于严酷，不可能在真实 生活中实现，只会导致伪善。因而他呼唤更加宽容、符合人性的道德。 因而他并不是一个彻底的唯美主义者， 一方面他希望建立美的乌托邦， 使美独立于功利和道 德说教，希望人们通过对至高无上的美的膜拜得到救赎。 另一方面他的大部分作品中自始至终 蕴含对社会人生的思考与关怀以及对当时维多利亚虚伪道德的揭露与批判。 关键词：奥斯卡王尔德；艺术；道德；宽容 v A Halfway Aesthete -On Oscar Wildes Philosophy on Art and Morality Abstrac

8、t Postgraduate: Zhou Ping Supervisor: Prof. Qiu Yi and Prof. Lu Xiaohong Major: English Language and Literature Orientation: British and American Literature Oscar Wilde(1854-1900), an Irish-born litterateur, has made great accomplishments in various literary genres, such as poetry, drama, novel, fai

9、ry tales and literary criticism. However, for he challenged the Victorian moral systems with his radical viewpoints and flamboyant lifestyle, he was severely punished for his homosexuality, which was illegal in his time and led to his imprisonment and miserable downfall of reputation. Once a highly

10、controversial figure in British literary history, he now becomes widely recognized. The thesis probes into Wildes thoughts and artwork, exploring his philosophy on art and morality. Wilde is a writer with multiply identities. Firstly, he was the figurehead of the aesthetic movement in England in the

11、 nineteenth century, in which the main doctrine was art for arts sake. He adopted various thoughts from different schools, and developed his own aesthetic philosophy and embodied successfully in part of his works. As a result his aesthetic thoughts became very influential in his time and brought for

12、th the prosperity of aestheticism. He lived out the principle of “making life an art” and courageously pursued beauty and led the trend of fashion, ignoring the moral restrictions of Victorian society. He pursued the aestheticization of daily life in such aspects as clothes, decoration, conversation

13、 and behavior, etc and naturally turned out to be the representation of dandyism. Moreover, he reflected the art of dandyism in his works, and created colorful dandy images. In the mask of cynical dandies, Wilde discovered and satirized the hypocrisy and degradation of the upper class. The particula

14、r way of life enabled Wilde to freely express his rebellion towards late Victorian Society and refusal of association with the hypocrisy. Wilde, as many critics point out, is a contradictory person in essence. On the one hand, he deeply despised the corruption of upper class and courageously challen

15、ges the inhumanly rigid moral rules of his time; on the other hand, he relied on the social surroundings to display his aesthetic and dandical thoughts and distinct lifestyle. Influenced by his own character and education and the moral-sensitive society he lives in, he can not discard moral concerns

16、 at all. So his attitude towards art and morality is complicated and contradictory. On the one hand, he more or less inherited William Morriss thoughts of “beautifying life by artwork”, wishing to seek the improvement of society in an artistic way. In his mind, peoples ability to appreciate would be

17、 cultivated by the beautification of daily life, and once the ability formed, they would instinctively follow the kindness and discard the vulgar. On the other hand, Wilde was influenced by Walter Paters view of “art for arts sake” to a great extent. Pater thought that vi art and morality were incon

18、gruous and the purpose of art lies in the quest for artistic enjoyment and the meaning of life lied in fulfilling instantaneous aesthetic enjoyment.His emphasis on the ultra-utility, subjectivity and enjoyment of beauty gave Wilde much inspiration. Therefore, influenced by the conflicting thoughts W

19、ilde could not be a downright aesthete. While he advocated the principle of “art for arts sake”, he consciously or unconsciously revealed thought of “art for lifes sake”. He wished to change the hypocritical moral standard of late Victorian society and evocate the kind from human nature. In the proc

20、ess of pursuing the true art, Wilde experienced hesitation and even self-negation, which is inevitable and praiseworthy. Although there are contradictions in his aesthetic theory and artworks, we can not say the value of his exploration and creation is hereby impaired. Through the analysis of his pu

21、rsuit of aestheticism in depth, we will understand and evaluate Wilde and the contemporary aestheticism better. In his essays, he stresses the autonomy of art, and opposes the creation of art for any utilitarian purposes. He advocates that the creation of art should not be restrained by moral rules,

22、 “The artist is the creator of beautiful things. No artist has ethical sympathies. All art is quite useless.” （Wilde, 2003: the Preface）He emphasizes the amorality of art, and contends that the sphere of art and ethics are distinct and separate. However, his artistic thoughts and creation are far fr

23、om amoral. Wilde, living in the moral-sensitive Victorian Society, has deep moral concerns. Not all his own artworks embody his aesthetic attitudes radically expressed in lectures and essays. Large amount of his works are concerned about life and society. For instance, in his fairy tales he created

24、a beautiful world which imbued with obvious moral messages. Beauty, love, happiness and sacrifice are the recurrent themes, representing inheritance of traditional morality. In the picture of Dorian Grey, in the masks of Henry, Hallward and the once innocent Grey whose values are conflicting, Wilde

25、conducted a sober analysis of himself and the social surroundings, which shows his moral concerns and his seriousness in discussion of moral anarchy. In his social comedies, he also infused his particular thoughts on morality. On the one hand, he exposed and impugned the hypocritical morality of lat

26、e Victorian society; on the other hand, he illustrated his moral thoughts- advocation of tolerance. He opposed the rigid moral rules and false virtues canonized by the contemporary middle class, and on the contrary put stress on the freedom of seeking individual happiness. In his mind, the cruelly r

27、igid moral standards could not be achieved in real life, but only lead to insincerity. Thus he calls for more tolerant and human morality. In all, he is not a downright aesthete. While making his effort to separate art from utilitarianism and preaching of morality and help people seek redemption by

28、paying homage to the ultimate beauty, he also made attempts to discuss life and morality and remind people of the hypocrisy of Victorian morality and the flimsy illusion of decent virtues in most of his literary creation. Key words: Oscar Wilde; art; morality; tolerance 论文独创性声明论文独创性声明 本人郑重声明：所提交的学位论

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30、刊登）论文的全部或部分 内容。论文的公布（包括刊登）授权广西师范大学学位办办理。 研究生签名： 日期： 导 师签名： 日期： 1 Chapter one Brief Introduction 1.1 The Life of Oscar Wilde Oscar Wilde was born on 16 October 1854 in Dublin, Ireland died on 30 November 1900 in Paris, France. Known for his barbed and clever wit, he was one of the most successful pla

31、ywrights of late Victorian London, and one of the greatest celebrities of his day. Thanks to his genius, he made achievement in various genres of literature. Not only did he create widely welcomed social comedies which brought him great reputation, he also wrote beautiful fairy tales like The Happy

32、Prince and Other Tales which are always popular among both children and adults around the world. He advanced his peculiar ideas of literary criticism which shocked the public of his day and made highly original contribution to literary theory and in some way inspired modernism. His two major literar

33、y-theoretical works were the dialogues “The Decay of Lying” (1889) and “The Critic as Artist” (1890). In addition, he had a controversial novel The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891) and some influential poems. Few writers have succeeded in so many literary forms. Wilde was born of unconventional and lit

34、erary parents. His father, Sir William Wilde, was Irelands leading ear and eye surgeon. His mother was a revolutionary poet and an authority on Celtic myth and folklore. Grown up in such an affluent and superior family, he developed his taste for beauty and his talent in literature. Although married

35、 and the father of two children, Wildes personal life was open to rumors. His years of triumph ended dramatically, when his intimate association with Alfred Douglas led to his trial on charges of homosexuality (then illegal in Britain). He suffered a complete downfall and was sentenced to two years

36、imprisonment with hard labor for the crime of sodomy. During this imprisonment he wrote De Profundis (1905), a dramatic monologue and autobiography, which was addressed to Alfred Douglas. After his release in 1897 Wilde wrote The Ballad of Reading Gaol-his last production, revealing his concern for

37、inhumane prison conditions and directly leading to the reformation of British prison. Wilde died of cerebral meningitis on November 30, 1900, penniless, in a cheap Paris hotel at the age of 46. 1.2 Social and Cultural Background Every writer is definitely influenced by the time he grows up and lives

38、 in. Wildes whole lifetime was spent in the Victorian Age, one of the most powerful and influential periods in English history. Therefore taking a look at the historical background should help us understand Wilde better. 2 Victoria age was characterized by strict moral rules. Because on the one hand

39、 the Queen had an unflinching sense of duty and a total respect for moral proprieties and set the standard of solid virtues, on the other hand the rising capitalist who benefited from such virtues as earnestness, obedience, rationality, self-restraint canonized them. Definitely, the moral codes cont

40、ributed a lot to the development of the Great British Empire, and therefore dominated the whole society. However, when pushed to the extreme, the moral culture became cruel and inhuman. Thus the lower class turned indifferent to “the hard and fast rules” while the upper class develops its own hypocr

41、itical way to cope with them. At the end of 19th century, with the Industrial Revolution and the progress of science, gradually social skepticism towards religion grew and the standard of Victorian solid virtues became less convincing. The dissatisfaction with the society seeks expression in art and

42、 literature. The Victorian moral was challenged by social reformers like the Fabians, the avant-garde of artists and intellectuals. Wildes aesthetic philosophy was developed in such a social surrounding. 1.3 Brief Survey of Previous Study and My Approach In Wildes time, he was regarded as a highly c

43、ontroversial person. Although his comedies were well-received by the public and his witty epigram and paradoxical words were widely popular among the audience, his frivolous lifestyle and radical aesthetic views brought him suspicion and harsh criticism, especially after his novel The Picture of Dor

44、ian Grey came out. In spite of the moral messages imbued in it, the book and its writer underwent severe derogation. The Daily Chronicle denounces it as “a tale spawned from the leprous literature of the French decadents, a poisonous book”（黄秀国, 2004: 4）. And some other critics rebuked Wilde for his

45、denying morals and praising decays. By the early half of the 20th century, the study of Wilde had mostly focused on his personal life and characters in the form of biography. Most were centered on his homosexual entanglement, the following trials which caused his imprisonment and untimely death and

46、few valuable researches deal with his thoughts and creation in depth. In the 1960s and 1970s, with the influence of new-criticism, the study of Wilde began to involve the textual analysis to a greater extent and the critics connect Wildes aesthetic theory and works with his particular era and the co

47、ntemporary culture more than ever. 100 years after Wildes death, the world has begun to understand Wilde in new and diverse perspectives. There was a climax in Wilde studies in the literary and art circles and a trend of increasing diversity. His works are interpreted from various angles like Modern

48、ism, Feminism, Post-colonialism, homosexual subculture, consumerism and etc. There are also constructive essays on his contradiction, his dandyism and marginal cultural identity. In a word, the significance of Wildes literary 3 accomplishments and his status in artistic history has become more estab

49、lished. Wilde studies have made great improvement in width and depth. In this thesis, I try to analyze Wildes ethical standpoint from his critical essays and masterpieces. Though he claimed the separation and disharmony of aesthetics and morality as a banner man of aestheticism, he does not exclude moral concer