An Analysis Of Family Ethics In Oscar Wilde’s Comedies

Oscar Wilde is one of the most excellent writers in English and Irish literature.His brilliant comedies, for the witty paradoxes and epigrams in the dialogues, have been considered as his greatest contribution to English literature. Wilde claims that art is for art’s sake, and all the works should be immoral. However, his art practice can’t cast off the morality in the works. In his four social plays, he reveals the hypocritical and degenerate side of the Victorian society, and the potential crisis which existed in the Victorian family.Wilde’s social plays are set in family sphere and focus on the family crisis.This thesis analyzes how the family members to make moral elections when they are involved in moral dilemma. These parents make the rational decisions out of their moral emotion. The wives consider the family as the most precious thing in the world after struggling with their conscience. They properly deal with the family crisis in a moral and rational way. This thesis also explores some elements which threaten the family harmony in Wilde’s social comedies. Victorian society divides the women into two kinds, “the good women” and “the bad women”. The whole society is hard on“the bad women”, and they are often judged by their past. However, the women with the past are on the way to self-discovery, realizing the union of the individual and social identity. They take pains to find a way to rescue themselves from the moral confusion. Besides the different treating of the good women and the bad women, there are also different standards for the women and the men which attribute to the imbalance of the family constitution. The playboys in upper class also hold an irresponsible attitude towards the society and family, which is also a great family crisis. In these social comedies, Wilde attempts to set up an ideal family ethics which bases on the love, equality and responsibility.