Document Type

Book Chapter

Publication Date

2021

Publication Title

Ireland, the Irish, and the Rise of Biofiction

Abstract

When discussing the origins, rise, and contemporary legitimization of biofiction, Oscar Wilde is a crucial figure. This is not just because he authored one of the first and most important reflections about the aesthetic form, but also because he became the subject of many biofictions, most notably Desmond Hall's I Give You Oscar Wilde: A Biographical Novel {1965), Peter Ackroyd's The Last Testament of Oscar Wilde (1983), Louis Edwards's Oscar Wilde Discovers America (2003), and Colm Toibin's The Master (2004). Some, of course, would question and challenge my decision to include Toibin's novel in this list, as many would say that The Master is a biographical novel about Henry James. But as I will demonstrate, Toibin has a commanding grasp of literary history, and The Master accurately foregrounds the crucial role Wilde played in both the rise ot the biographical novel and the fall of the historical novel, which is why I argue that Wilde is the primary master of The Master.

Publisher

Bloomsbury Academic

City

New York

ISBN

9781501378478

First Page

15

Last Page

53

Comments

This is the first chapter in Ireland, the Irish, and the Rise of Biofiction. The entire book can be found through the publisher website: https://www.bloomsburycollections.com/book/ireland-the-irish-and-the-rise-of-biofiction/

Rights

Copyright (c) Michael Lackey, 2021

Primo Type

Book Chapter

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