Sincerity and the Subject in Wilde’s De Profundis

Abstract

Claims the sincerity of Wilde’s De Profundis, already put into doubt by trains of thought uncharacteristic of Wilde’s earlier writing, is challenged further by contemporary literary theory in its rejection of the autobiographical subject as coherent entity. Suggests the sincerity of De Profundis can be accurately assessed by locating its subject in a dialogue between the identity Wilde intends to convey and the implications of the literary forms he uses to convey it. Doing so foregrounds in the text three borrowed identities Wilde assumes in order to help define his own. Posits that even though they reveal inconsistencies in his intended persona, these identities must be recognized, giving some credence to his claim that he has found a higher self.