In all of the commonplace book entries I reviewed (Jennifer, Mariah, and Olivia), there was a recurring theme of doubling, as well as many mentions of the scrutiny Oscar Wide faced for writing this piece. The theme of doubling is one we have seen in every novel we read this year. This is the idea that these “monsters” all put on a sort of mask or other identity. Each book also has its own way of expressing this theme of doubling, whether it be a completely different identity, as in Jekyll and Hyde, or whether its creating a completely new being to express these feelings, as in Frankenstein. Also, these CPB entries all mentioned the persecution and scrutiny that Oscar Wilde was under for write ng this book. Many believed that there were “radical” ideas of homosexuality and bad lifestyle choices that went against the beliefs of the time. Wilde was even imprisoned for his ideas in this book. This really shows the pressure authors and artists were under during this time, because they couldn’t just worry about their interpretation, they had to worry about society’s interpretation.
Question: Were these novels the authors’ ways of “doubling”, or masking their beliefs and ideals by creating these different characters?
