Vera; or, The Nihilists: Oscar Wilde’s “Wretched Play” and the Challenges of Reassessing “Minor” Works

Guy, Josephine M.

Abstract

Richard Ellmann termed Vera a "wretched play." In Oscar Wilde Revalued (1983), Ian Small could name only two critics gave it serious attention: Katherine Worth and Frances Miriam Reed. In Oscar Wilde Recent Research (2000), Small again found only two treatments worth mentioning: by Sos Eltis and George Rowell. Vera has come more to the fore in critical discussion, but interest continues to be outweighed by that afforded to the rest of Wilde's oeuvre, with the exception only of his unfinished works and scenarios. This article explores the reasons behind this neglect, discussing the strategies of some of the most recent, post-2000 studies of Vera. Paying closer attention to archival materials and to the broader literary (as opposed to political) context in which Vera was produced opens new ways of appreciating the significance of this work.

Citation

Guy, J. M. (2020). Vera; or, The Nihilists: Oscar Wilde’s “Wretched Play” and the Challenges of Reassessing “Minor” Works. English Literature in Transition, 1880-1920, 63(3), 346-375

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 5, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Mar 16, 2020
• Publication Date: May 31, 2020
• Deposit Date: Sep 11, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 17, 2021
• Journal: English Literature in Transition, 1880-1920
• Print ISSN: 0013-8339
• Electronic ISSN: 1559-2715
• Publisher: ELT Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 63
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 346-375
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2604238
• Related Public URLs: https://muse.jhu.edu/article/751272
• Contract Date: Sep 11, 2019