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
Rights
Copyright (c) Michael Lackey, 2021
Recommended Citation
Lackey, Michael. "Oscar Wilde and the Invention of a Life-Creating Fiction" in Ireland, the Irish, and the Rise of Biofiction. New York and London: Bloomsbury, 2021
Primo Type
Book Chapter
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/