The Faiths of Oscar Wilde: Catholicism, Folklore and Ireland [Hardcover]

An original and energetic examination of the relationship between theology, faith, religious history and national politics in the works of Oscar Wilde, which focuses in particular on his life-long attraction to Catholicism. Wilde's Protestant heritage is also scrutinised, and its continued influence on him, as well as his antagonism towards it, is related to the narrative modes he chose and the philosophical positions he adopted.Preface Introduction Child and Man: The Development of a Catholic Mind Faith and Reason: The Bible, the Catholic Church, and Wilde's Scandalous Texts Body and Soul: Nature, The Body, and the Host in The Picture of Dorian Gray Religion and Politics: Wilde's Social Philosophy Art and Life: The Politics of Ritualism in The Importance of Being Earnest Realism and Romance: Between Protestantism and Catholicism in Wilde's Final Texts Conclusion Notes IndexJARLATH KILLEEN is a Lecturer in English at Keele University, Staffordshire. He is the author of Gothic Ireland: Horror and the Eighteenth Century Irish Anglican Imagination, 2005.