Same-sex desire, hedonism, and struggling identity in Johann Wolfing Von Goethe's Faust: a Tragedy (1806) and Oscar Wilde's the Picture of Dorian Gray (1891)

Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray remains emblematic of queer literary studies given its unique position of juxtaposing coded same-sex desire with the blatant biographical connections of its author’s controversial imprisonment for indecency. Scholars have already exposed these connections and the principles exposed within the broader Aesthetic Movement of the nineteenth century to critique accepted notions morality. Yet the exploration of same-sex desire with aestheticism, hedonism, and identity has origin in Goethe’s Faust; A Tragedy. Both of these works explore same-sex desire within the same paradigm of aestheticism, hedonism, and dueling identity inspired by art theory. First, Goethe and Wilde are inspired by the homoerotic art theory of Joachim Winkelman, who provides a common origin for the presentation of same-sex desire. Then, Dionysian hedonism provides a vehicle to explore same-sex desire. Dionysian elements of Greek tragedy and theater inspire Faust and Dorian into cathartic experiences to embrace sexual freedom. The hedonistic journey also reinterprets the Classical model of the Platonic relationship to construct a same-sex relationship based on pleasure that contrasts Christian European cultural institutions. Finally, I prove that the the dueling souls of Faust and Dorian represents conflicting urges that prefigure the emergence of a homosexual identity. The competition of different souls, philosophies, and passive or active masculinity demonstrate division of the public persona and private self found later in history in the homosexual closet. This thesis underlines the Faustian paradigm of aestheticism, hedonism, and identity, to illustrate an overlooked and significant representation of same-sex desire in the nineteenth century. The Faustian paradigm and its interworking form and function provide a new way for understanding the nineteenth century and the representation of same-sex desire.M.A.Includes bibliographical referencesby Julian Damian