Perverse Midrash: Oscar Wilde, André Gide,and Censorship of Biblical DramaOscar Wilde's Salome and Andre Gide's Saul have been considered critically in the traditional contexts of authorial oeuvre, biography, or "thought." These plays have been treated with embarrassed respect, dealt with only because of the importance of their authors. That Wilde and Gide made use of biblical material seems to discomfit their critics; that they had done so at a time when biblical drama was prohibited has rarely been addressed. Traditional critical treatments seek to smooth over the plays' aberrant qualities. This study takes them seriously as aberrations and investigates Wilde's and Gide's claims that these plays are works of faith, by considering them as participating in the history of biblical drama. |
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abuses actors aggadah Ahimelech Amalekites ancient André Gide argues audience banned Bible Bible on stage biblical account biblical criticism biblical drama biblical material biblical narrative biblical plays biblical text censor century characters Christ Christian church Copeau cultural David defenders of censorship demons desire dramatists ence England English faith Farrar fear fin de siècle Gide's play Gide's Saül God's Henry Arthur Jones Herod Hérode Herodias interest interpretation Iokanaan Israel John the Baptist Jonathan Josephus king literary historians literature Lugné-Poe mask medieval drama medieval mysteries medieval plays midrash modern moral Moulton movement mystery plays nineteenth nineteenth-century Oberammergau Passion Play observes origins Passion Play performed Philistines popular production prophetic public stage refers religion religious drama represented revelation ritual Robert Elsmere Robertson Smith Roston sacred Samuel Saül Saul's scholars scholarship scripture seems sexual story symbol symboliste Théâtre theme tion tradition translation Ward Wilde and Gide Wilde's Salomé writing YHWH