Originally appearing in “The Court and Society Review” in two instalments (February-March 1887) and subsequently included in “Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime and Other Stories” (1891), “The Canterville Ghost” was Oscar Wilde’s first published short story. As such, it laid the cornerstone for the author’s short-fiction writing and also worked as a promising prelude to his celebrated fairy tales. Yet, when it comes to scholarly investigation, “The Canterville Ghost” does not seem to rank particularly high in the author’s canon. The aim of this paper is to offer an in-depth analysis of the text’s metaphorical substratum and the most relevant traits connoting the ghost figure. It will be shown how Wilde established an ironic but not insignificant dialogue with various cultural trends that characterized late-Victorian England, such as spiritualism and an interest in paranormal phenomena. At the same time, emphasis will be placed on the episodes, descriptions and turning points in the narrative where the eponymous protagonist can be manifestly associated with the realms of artistic creation, performance and a consummate, if old-fashioned, stagecraft. This parable sees him as both crushed by the callous unresponsiveness of the American purchasers of Canterville Chase and capable of singling out a kindred spirit within that group. Virginia Otis, an amateur painter who is to marry into the British aristocracy, proves a sympathetic intermediary and the herald of a more engaged kind of audience reception.
Originariamente pubblicato su “The Court and Society Review” in due puntate (febbraio-marzo 1887) e in seguito incluso nella raccolta “Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime and Other Stories” (1891), “The Canterville Ghost” fu il primo racconto edito di Oscar Wilde. In quanto tale, esso preparò il terreno alla narrativa breve dell’autore e costituì un preludio alla sua celebrata produzione fiabesca. Tuttavia, a livello di indagine critica, “The Canterville Ghost” risulta ancora tra le opere wildiane meno studiate. Obiettivo del presente contributo è offrire un’analisi approfondita delle stratificazioni metaforiche del testo e dei tratti più rilevanti che connotano il personaggio del fantasma. Si metterà in rilievo come Wilde abbia intrecciato un dialogo ironico ma tutt’altro che insignificante con varie tendenze culturali che caratterizzarono l’Inghilterra tardo vittoriana, come lo spiritualismo e l’interesse per i fenomeni paranormali. Al tempo stesso, ci si soffermerà su episodi, descrizioni e risvolti dell’intreccio in cui il protagonista eponimo può essere facilmente associato alle dimensioni della creazione artistica, della performance e di un’arte esperta (benché anacronistica) della recitazione. Questa parabola vedrà il fantasma da un lato sconfitto dalla rude indifferenza degli acquirenti americani di Canterville Chase e, dall’altro, capace di individuare uno spirito affine all’interno di quel medesimo gruppo. Virginia Otis, pittrice amatoriale che convolerà a nozze con un esponente dell’aristocrazia britannica, si rivelerà così un’intermediatrice empatica e più ricettiva nei confronti dello spettro e delle sue spettacolari esibizioni.
The Ghost as Artist. Allusive Echoes in “The Canterville Ghost”
LAURA GIOVANNELLI
2021-01-01
Abstract
Originally appearing in “The Court and Society Review” in two instalments (February-March 1887) and subsequently included in “Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime and Other Stories” (1891), “The Canterville Ghost” was Oscar Wilde’s first published short story. As such, it laid the cornerstone for the author’s short-fiction writing and also worked as a promising prelude to his celebrated fairy tales. Yet, when it comes to scholarly investigation, “The Canterville Ghost” does not seem to rank particularly high in the author’s canon. The aim of this paper is to offer an in-depth analysis of the text’s metaphorical substratum and the most relevant traits connoting the ghost figure. It will be shown how Wilde established an ironic but not insignificant dialogue with various cultural trends that characterized late-Victorian England, such as spiritualism and an interest in paranormal phenomena. At the same time, emphasis will be placed on the episodes, descriptions and turning points in the narrative where the eponymous protagonist can be manifestly associated with the realms of artistic creation, performance and a consummate, if old-fashioned, stagecraft. This parable sees him as both crushed by the callous unresponsiveness of the American purchasers of Canterville Chase and capable of singling out a kindred spirit within that group. Virginia Otis, an amateur painter who is to marry into the British aristocracy, proves a sympathetic intermediary and the herald of a more engaged kind of audience reception.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
