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

Guy, Josephine M.

Authors

Josephine M. Guy



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 Mar 29, 2024
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

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