Oscar Wilde and Ancient Greece by Iain Ross

Abstract

BOOK REVIEWS 247 the idea of Middle Platonism as simply a stepping-stone to Neoplatonism (231– 41, esp. 236). Van Nuffelen’s presentation of the texts is accurate, and his erudition is tremendous (apparently overlooked, though, are Dawson (cited above), J. Moles’ 1987 JHS article on Dio, and M. Smith’s skepticism about the authenticity of On Superstition, while D. Richter’s views about On Isis (56, note 48) deserved more discussion (see now his Cosmopolis (New York and Oxford, 2011) 207–229)). Nonetheless, has he drawn the lines too clean? Were Plutarch and some others reallysearchingfortruthinforeignreligions?Alternatively,weretheyofferingtheir readers through them, philosophical coherence and a higher morality and spirituality (cf. P. Athanassiadi and C. Macris, “Les mutations religieuses dans l’Empire romain,” in C. Bonnet and L. Bricault, eds., Les mutations religieuses dans l’Empire romain (Leiden and Boston, 2013, forthcoming))? Was the “divine hierarchy” as neat as Van Nuffelen suggests? Here, he seems to glide without warning between henotheistic and monotheistic descriptions, mostly henotheistic. Sometimes he leaves us in the dark about the “highest god,” especially when treating the Stoics and Plutarch. For example (169–170, note 55), the “highest god” in On the E at Delphi (392A-394A) and On Isis (383A) seems to be a henotheistic god. But Plutarch surely is describing his Middle Platonic God of which the henotheistic god is but an image. Nonetheless, this is an excellent, insightful, and fascinating study. Even those who are not philosopherswill be able to extractmuch truth. FREDERICK E.BRENK Pontifical Biblical Institute,Rome,fbrenk@jesuitswisprov.org * * * * * Oscar Wilde and Ancient Greece. By IAIN ROSS. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012. Pp. xv +274. Hardcover,$99.00. ISBN 978-1-107-02032-0. The exploration of Greek antiquity, in termsofboth literarytextsand archaeological remains, profoundly influenced the governing classes and intellectual elite of nineteenth century Britain. Seeing themselves as the heirs to Hellenic tradition, classically educated gentlemen felt an affinity between themselves and the Greeks 248 BOOK REVIEWS and considered fifth century Athenian society to be a prefiguration of their own.1 However, the popularization ofarchaeological science in the 1870s created a tensionbetweentheancienttexts ,whichinspiredidealizedfictionsaboutthepast,and material culture, which presented scholars with snapshots of ancient realities that were less fanciful and more concrete in nature. The writings of Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) engaged with both forms of evidence and thereby embodied the late nineteenth centuryconflictbetween text andmaterial culture.2 Oscar Wilde experienced ancient Greek literature and material culture through the lenses of specific institutions and texts. By examining Wilde’s written work and the formative events of his life, Ross aims to discern the ways in which Wilde’s personal brand ofHellenism was shaped bythese guiding influences. The first three chapters present an “intellectual biography” (5) of Wilde, drawing on a variety of sources, including unpublished annotated manuscripts. In particular, Chapter 1 is an account of Wilde’s education and his only trip to Greece, while Chapter2discusseshisearlywritings.Chapter3covershischartermembershipin theHellenicSocietyandemphasizeshisadvocacyfortheuseofarchaeologyinthe arts,especiallyasanaidinreconstructionsoftheancientGreekworld.Inthischapter , however, the author identifies a watershed shift circa 1886 as Wilde abruptly rejects the positivism and popularism associated with archaeology and adopts insteadanappropriative ,anachronisticattitudetowardancienttexts.Tosupportthis claim, the fourth chapter posits intertextual interpretations of Wilde’s mature works, including The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Soul of Man, “The Importance of Being Earnest” and De Profundis. The book concludes with Appendices A–G, which contain Wilde’s syllabi from Trinity College in Dublin and Magdalen College in Oxford, notes from histrip to Greece and exercisesin Greek composition. Ross’ examination of Wilde’s life and literary works provides uswith a deeper, intellectual portrait of this notorious historical personage. In Wilde’s writings, Ross discerns allusions to Plato, Aristotle and Menander and argues that he used Greek sources in both conscious and unconscious ways. For example, in addition to the direct allusions to Plato made in The Picture of Dorian Gray, there were also unconscious allusions as the text takes on new meaning when read within the 1 Theseminalworksonthissubject includeJenkyns,R. 1980.The VictoriansandAncientGreece. Oxford:Blackwell;Turner, F.M. 1981.The Greek Heritage inVictorianBritain.NewHaven:YaleUniversity Press. 2 For recent biographies of Oscar Wilde, see McKenna, N. 2005. The Secret Life of Oscar Wilde: AnIntimateBiography.NewYork:BasicBooks;Wright,T.2008.HowReadingDefinedtheLifeofOscar Wilde...