In Quest Of Love

As a writer with a spirit of rebellion, Oscar Wilde has been challenging the tradition and himself in his entire life. And fairy tales are his first target. They are very different from traditional fairy tales and other ones in Victorian Age. And some ideas in his fairy tales are also set in conflict with his artistic views. All these have become the spotlight of many researchers. However, there are few people who attempt to trace his personal life in his fairy tales especially his love life. Wilde has had happy marriage and family once. But the quest of love ends his life of happiness and wealth for ever.This thesis gives an introduction of the researches home and abroad on Wilde's fairy tales. Then it puts forward the purpose of this thesis. It aims at tracing the changes that Wilde undergoes in the quest of love in his fairy tales and furthers in exploring the value of Wilde's quest of love.The first chapter probes into the clues of Wilde's ideal love and introduce Plato's view of love in his Symposium. Then it makes a comparison between them. Wilde is greatly influenced by Plato in love. In Wilde's The Happy Prince, we can find the shadow of Platonic love. There are lots of similarities between them: Love can not only happen between man and woman but between men or women. Love is not only spiritual, but sexual. People just need to control their sexual desire in the quest of love. And love is a pursuit of beauty and virtues.The second chapter mainly discusses Wilde's contradictions in quest of love in his fairy tales. With a deeper understanding about life and society, Wilde's view about love is also changing. He has been a defender of true love and happy marriage in reality. But he is turned to be a critic of ugly love in reality. He has been an ideal lover of beautiful young man. But he is turned to be an individualist who has no faith in any kind of love. He has been a lover of superficial beauty. But he is turned to be a singer of love of inner beauty.The third chapter is given to analyze the ideal love pattern that Wilde creates for himself and its characteristics. Beauty—love—fearlessness—death is Wilde's ideal love. Love is a pursuit of beauty and virtues. The unusual extend suffering of the protagonist in love impresses the readers to the most.The forth chapter investigates the significance of Wilde's quest of love. In the quest of love Wilde adds new elements to Platonic love. In the quest of love, Wilde gives the bitterest criticism to the ugly society. In the quest of love, Wilde shows us his courage and spirit of rebellion in challenging tradition and himself. In the quest of love, Wilde shows his heart-felt concern for people of minority.