Aestheticism and sexual parody, 1840-1940
By: Dennis Denisoff.
Series: Cambridge studies in nineteenth-century literature and culture ;; 31
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2001
Place of publication: Cambridge [England]; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 191
Subjects: English literature -- 19th century -- History and criticism.; Aestheticism (Literature); English literature -- 20th century -- History and criticism.; Parodies -- History and criticism.; Sex in literature.; Parody.
Description: "This study discusses the work of authors in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and argues that members of mainstream society grew to accept and even enjoy the non-normative sexuality of the Aesthetic Movement chiefly through works of parody and self-parody. Highlighting Victorian popular culture, Aestheticism and Sexual Parody adds a new and important dimension to the theorizations of parody as a combative strategy by which sexually marginalized groups undermine the status quo. From W.S. Gilbert's drama and Vernon Lee's and Christopher Isherwood's prose to George Du Maurier's cartoons and Max Beerbohm's caricatures, Dennis Denisoff explores the parodies' interactions with the personae and texts of canonical authors such as Alfred Tennyson, Walter Pater, Algernon Swinburne, and Oscar Wilde. In doing so, he considers the impact that these interactions had on modern ideas of gender, sexuality, taste, and politics."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 174-187) and index.