Decadence and Repression in Henry James and Oscar Wilde

Generally, we correlate Victorianism with Puritanism and the trials of Oscar Wilde, even though it had a flourishing subculture like the Decadent movement, molly houses, and the effete dandies. These social phenomena were reactions to a time when sexual and social purity and repression were advocated and rigid conservatism left little leeway for flexibility. This book analyzes and compares selected works by Henry James and Oscar Wilde. While in critical reception, James and Wilde are frequently contrasted, this study draws parallels between some Jamesian texts and the decadent oeuvre of Wilde. These works are flooded with homoerotic subtexts, which surface by means of fetishization, the homoerotic gaze, and lush decadence, but also homophobia, dandified performance, hostility to women, and the institution of marriage. The works discussed here exhibit the dichotomy which is characteristic of the late-Victorian era: all texts analyzed make concessions to late-Victorian mores, include the portrayal of moral exemplars, and end by punishing moral transgression.