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Oscar Wilde is said to have been influenced by the art critics John Ruskin and Walter Pater, both of whom Wilde met at Oxford University. This book poses the question in what way and to what extent Ruskin and Pater influenced Wilde. John Ruskin is thought to have had a moral view of life and art, whereas Walter Pater is thought to have had an aesthetic view. The common opinion is that Ruskin and Pater represent opposite ends of the spectrum and that Wilde was therefore influenced by two contrasting views on life and art. This book questions the accuracy of this supposition by comparing selections from the works that both John Ruskin and Walter Pater produced during their youth and their more experienced years with selections from Wilde´´s body of work. The distinction between John Ruskin and Walter Pater may prove not to be as black-and-white as it seems, and therefore there may be more to Wilde than meets the eye. This book should appeal to anyone interested in art and literature who does not take Wilde at face value but who, like Wilde, never takes anything in life at face value.

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Rosanne van Cruyningen, MA: Studied English Language and Culture and Western Literature and Culture at Utrecht University.

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