Transgression in Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein; or, the modern Prometheus’ and Oscar Wilde’s ‘The picture of Dorian Gray’

Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation is to show how transgression features as a central aspect in the works of Mary Shelley and Oscar Wilde. It aims to shed light on the societal and moral boundaries which these authors faced and how their transgression of such boundaries influenced the novels Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus and The Picture of Dorian Gray. In the first chapter a close analysis of Frankenstein is carried out, with investigations into the scientific movements of the time, the novels and works which influenced Mary Shelley and the relevant philosophical movements of the early nineteenth century. Richard Holmes’ work on science and its relation to the Romantics is used to give further insight into this. The focus will be on how the transgression of the laws of nature, god and the role of the mother as the child-bearer affect the development of the novel and its characters. Chris Baldick’s In Frankenstein’s Shadow is used alongside Anne K. Mellor’s feminist theories to give a clear framework of nineteenth century social and sexual politics, as they relate to Frankenstein. In the second chapter the focus is on the varying notions of transgression in the nineteenth century. The aim is to show how due to the shift in social climates and attitudes to morality and ethics, the idea of transgression alters from Frankenstein to The Picture of Dorian Gray. The first half of the chapter focuses on Mary Shelley’s own transgression into the male-dominated sphere of writing, with the influence of her parents William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft. Emily W. Sunstein’s biography on Mary Shelley is used to show how Shelley’s upbringing, education and private life affected both her work and her ability to defy social norms. The focus then shifts to the changing climate of the nineteenth century, and the way moral landscapes became stricter as Britain entered the Victorian era. The rigid, hypocritical moral landscape of Victorian England is discussed as a background for Oscar Wilde’s work of moral transgression, The Picture of Dorian Gray. Lastly, the third chapter focuses entirely on Oscar Wilde’s own life and how he came to write a novel of such great insight into his society. The Aesthetic movement is analysed in depth, with particular attention paid to the influence of Walter Pater’s works on Oscar Wilde. Richard Ellman’s biography Oscar Wilde is used to shed light on Wilde’s ideologies and how his personal affairs shaped his writing. The Picture of Dorian Gray is seen through the light of Oscar Wilde’s own transgressions and the trials he had to endure at the hands of a strict moralistic society.