Aesthetic Narrative: A New Discussion on Wang Erxi--A Series of Comparative Literature and Culture

Author: Zhang Jieming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features: "Aesthetic Narrative," as the name implies, is a definition of the characteristics of narrative in the then-popular Aestheticism of the 19th century. Although this is a name given by the author of this paper without much modesty to facilitate the limitation of research objects, it indeed reflects an area previously overlooked in the study of Aestheticism and Oscar Wilde, or a "stale" object yet to be illuminated by the new light of research. When emerging post-classical or postmodern narratology turns its gaze to broader fields related to narrative, narratology is no longer the exclusive domain of linguistic formalism and structuralism. Inspired by this new narratology to "show its expanded scope and its continued validity after becoming more profound," and to "embrace a more interdisciplinary nature, making it harder to classify and locate," the author employs a combination of methods such as literary psychology, literary aesthetics, New Criticism, and cultural anthropology in the theoretical and practical study of Wilde's aesthetic narrative. This aims to dissect the "things" narrated by Wilde under the umbrella of aesthetic ideology—their motivations, mechanisms, and objectives. Under a broader concept of "story" that includes novels, plays, fairy tales, and more, emphasis is placed on the "complex interplay between narrative form and narrative interpretive context," as well as the "interaction between the planning of stories and the strategies they lead to." For Wilde, the "context" is both personal and aestheticist, meaning that Wilde's narrative characteristics are a composite of his life background, national identity, individual temperament, and aesthetic ideals. Precisely because the object itself is multifaceted, a comprehensive perspective and methodology are required. Aestheticism is both a reaction against the hypocritical social reality of the Victorian era in Britain and a counterbalance to certain shortcomings of realism, romanticism, and naturalism in literature. These factors determine that it is a trend that defies the tide of the times, champions individual freedom, and values individual development. Based on the idea that narrative dynamics ultimately stem from the author's need for spiritual communication, the author believes that as a representative of Aestheticism, Wilde's depiction, narration, and reasoning are primarily rooted in his self, driven by his aesthetic ideals, which include subjective feelings, sensory experiences, and psychological potentials. Among these, national background and unique sexual psychology are part of Wilde's individual traits, while concepts such as "aesthetic redemption," the sensory perception of space, and the emphasis on the "instant" in time are more intrinsic to Aestheticism. Although Aestheticism has close ties to the non-utilitarian and autonomous theories of art in philosophy and aesthetics, the emphasis on the artificiality of art undoubtedly belongs to Wilde. His view that art is "a lie" is a contribution to the theory of Aestheticism. In Wilde's view, all art is ultimately a human-made product, and imagination is the constructive mechanism that warrants it. The goal of Aestheticism is to guide people's lives with art that is more beautiful than reality, using the spirit of art to handle life. Because it is a lie, it ignores the truth; because it is a lie, it relies on imagination. Imitating life is naturally rejected. The fabricated "lies," the purely fictional worlds, and the extraordinary figures that are moving, appealing, passionate, and capable of inspiring imagination are a kind of pure art that achieves "non-action through action." His novels, fairy tales, plays, and even critical texts are all interpretations of this theory of "lies." This paper analyzes his narrative mechanism dominated by imagination through the abundant plots, ironic scenes, expressive worlds, restless souls, and conceptualized aesthetic insights in his works. Aestheticism has certain historical connections with various literary schools that pursue artistic form, but most Aestheticists, including Wilde, differ significantly from formalists in the modern sense. Wilde's emphasis on form is primarily a creation or choice of concept, meaning ideas and methods that differ from the prevailing mainstream literary trends and approaches of the time. He believed that literature is "individualistic," so his disdain for mainstream norms, his preconceived of life logic, his independent exploration of suspense in traditional drama, his fondness for transformation, and his pursuit of surface sensory pleasure through correspondence and repetition, as well as his remarkable linguistic craftsmanship, are all closely related to his various aesthetic ideals and his pursuit of contemporary artistic ideals. Wilde is a writer with strong theoretical leanings, as well as one with a homosexual inclination whose influential plays are often considered non-aestheticist, just social dramas—such as numerous complex factors. Therefore, after comprehensively reviewing and clarifying the aesthetic narrative characteristics in all of his works, and after cross-referencing his narrative practice with his aesthetic theory, the conclusion that emerges naturally is that Wilde has unique contributions in various aspects of art and life, the function of art, the expression of art, the pursuit of art, and art criticism. His critical theory and his understanding of literary language make him an undeniable artist with modern significance.