谎言的艺术——论王尔德《真诚的重要性》

The Art of Lying in Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest

《真诚的重要性》是一部看似标榜真诚,实则充满谎言的剧作。本文从道德和艺术两个角度研究剧中谎言的意义。谎言表现了维多利亚晚期社会公共道德规范与个人自由之间的冲突,说明19世纪末20世纪初绝对道德观的坍塌以及个人意志的伸张。塞西丽的谎言是王尔德意义上最高层次的谎言,体现了王尔德艺术即虚构、艺术不反应现实的重要艺术理论。谎言背后掩盖的是王尔德对传统道德观及艺术观的质疑和再思考。

This essay studies the importance of lying in The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. It first analyzes the moral significance of lying in the play, arguing that lying represents the conflict between social Convention and individual freedom in the late Victorian period. It reflects the collapse of absolute morality as well as the increasing importance of individual will in the fin-de-siecle British society. The essay then explores the significance of lying from the aspect of art, arguing that Cecily＇ s lies represent the highest form of lying in the sense of Wilde. They reflect the doctrines of Wilde＇ s new aesthetics that lying, the telling of beautiful untrue things, is the proper aim of art. Lying in the play implies Wilde＇ s reevaluation of the traditional moral and aesthetic concepts.