Dandiacal Conversation in Oscar Wilde’s Comedies of Manners: Conventions, Conversions and Reconfigurations of Phallogocentrism

Wilde’s comedies of manners stage dandies enjoying relative freedom in the parlours, ballrooms and reception halls where the scenes usually take place. From a marginal position, the characters progressively conquer centerstage. They are not only accepted but sought after, as ultra-refined figures of...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Publicado no:URI:https://journals.openedition.org/cve,
Autor principal: Pham-Thanh, Gilbert
Formato: Article ou chapitre numérique
Idioma:Anglais
Publicado em: Cahiers victoriens et édouardiens 2016
Acesso em linha:Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM
Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM
Descrição
Resumo:Wilde’s comedies of manners stage dandies enjoying relative freedom in the parlours, ballrooms and reception halls where the scenes usually take place. From a marginal position, the characters progressively conquer centerstage. They are not only accepted but sought after, as ultra-refined figures of conventional gentlemanliness and masters of ceremonies of sorts.Their presentability is matched by their power to convince whoever engages in controversies with them. Their strong reliance on rhetoric ensures their supremacy in polite conversation, even if their intellectual and cultural edge does a lot to secure their domination. What is more, their mastery of codes and norms enables them to destabilize the semantics of the age, a gesture which can be equated to a reconfiguration of Victorian patriarchy and even a dismissal of Victorian grand narratives.