Lady Windermere's Fan | Historical Context

Aestheticism Movement
The late nineteenth century ‘‘art-for-art’s-sake’’ movement was promulgated by Walter Pater (1839– 1894), an Oxford don who tutored Oscar Wilde. Wilde became a living example of his teacher’s theory, which placed style and beauty above moral and social responsibility. Wilde’s adherence to this theory earned him the name ‘‘The Great Aesthete.’’

According to Pater, the aesthete appreciated beautiful things and beautiful literature. Interest in art was facilitated by the rise in leisure time for the upper and middle class....


[The entire page is 468 words long]

Join eNotes

The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:

eNotes Pass

Summary and Analysis – Themes – Characters – And much more...