Dandiacal Conversation in Oscar Wilde’s Comedies of Manners: Conventions, Conversions and Reconfigurations of Phallogocentrism

Wilde’s comedies of manners stage dandies enjoying relative freedom in the parlours, ballrooms and reception halls where the scenes usually take place. From a marginal position, the characters progressively conquer centerstage. They are not only accepted but sought after, as ultra-refined figures of...

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Main Author: Gilbert Pham-Thanh
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Presses Universitaires de la Méditerranée 2010-12-01
Series:Cahiers Victoriens et Edouardiens
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/cve/2716
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author Gilbert Pham-Thanh
author_facet Gilbert Pham-Thanh
author_sort Gilbert Pham-Thanh
collection DOAJ
description Wilde’s comedies of manners stage dandies enjoying relative freedom in the parlours, ballrooms and reception halls where the scenes usually take place. From a marginal position, the characters progressively conquer centerstage. They are not only accepted but sought after, as ultra-refined figures of conventional gentlemanliness and masters of ceremonies of sorts.Their presentability is matched by their power to convince whoever engages in controversies with them. Their strong reliance on rhetoric ensures their supremacy in polite conversation, even if their intellectual and cultural edge does a lot to secure their domination. What is more, their mastery of codes and norms enables them to destabilize the semantics of the age, a gesture which can be equated to a reconfiguration of Victorian patriarchy and even a dismissal of Victorian grand narratives.
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spelling doaj-art-cfba4dd19fce4d32a9f6a3b2184ecc6c2025-01-30T10:21:40ZengPresses Universitaires de la MéditerranéeCahiers Victoriens et Edouardiens0220-56102271-61492010-12-0172375210.4000/cve.2716Dandiacal Conversation in Oscar Wilde’s Comedies of Manners: Conventions, Conversions and Reconfigurations of PhallogocentrismGilbert Pham-ThanhWilde’s comedies of manners stage dandies enjoying relative freedom in the parlours, ballrooms and reception halls where the scenes usually take place. From a marginal position, the characters progressively conquer centerstage. They are not only accepted but sought after, as ultra-refined figures of conventional gentlemanliness and masters of ceremonies of sorts.Their presentability is matched by their power to convince whoever engages in controversies with them. Their strong reliance on rhetoric ensures their supremacy in polite conversation, even if their intellectual and cultural edge does a lot to secure their domination. What is more, their mastery of codes and norms enables them to destabilize the semantics of the age, a gesture which can be equated to a reconfiguration of Victorian patriarchy and even a dismissal of Victorian grand narratives.https://journals.openedition.org/cve/2716
spellingShingle Gilbert Pham-Thanh
Dandiacal Conversation in Oscar Wilde’s Comedies of Manners: Conventions, Conversions and Reconfigurations of Phallogocentrism
Cahiers Victoriens et Edouardiens
title Dandiacal Conversation in Oscar Wilde’s Comedies of Manners: Conventions, Conversions and Reconfigurations of Phallogocentrism
title_full Dandiacal Conversation in Oscar Wilde’s Comedies of Manners: Conventions, Conversions and Reconfigurations of Phallogocentrism
title_fullStr Dandiacal Conversation in Oscar Wilde’s Comedies of Manners: Conventions, Conversions and Reconfigurations of Phallogocentrism
title_full_unstemmed Dandiacal Conversation in Oscar Wilde’s Comedies of Manners: Conventions, Conversions and Reconfigurations of Phallogocentrism
title_short Dandiacal Conversation in Oscar Wilde’s Comedies of Manners: Conventions, Conversions and Reconfigurations of Phallogocentrism
title_sort dandiacal conversation in oscar wilde s comedies of manners conventions conversions and reconfigurations of phallogocentrism
url https://journals.openedition.org/cve/2716
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