Theory and Practice of Friendship: avantla- lettre Populist Resemantization in «The Devoted Friend», by Oscar Wilde

Abstract

The present article posits a re-reading of the fairy tale «The Devoted Friend» (Oscar Wilde, 1888) as a critique avant-la-lettre of populist discourses of hegemony. After a theoretical definition of the principles that constitute the populist discourse, the article conflates pragmatic and semantic discourse strategies to construe meaning in the story in search of these principles. The article discusses ideas such as the dialectical opposition between friend and foe, the hegemonic construction of the collective identity «us» vs. «them» and the vertical political structure these atrategies, more often than not, spawn. Ultimately, the article assesses the value of the story as a critical «blueprint» to debunk the social construction of the self in present contexts.

Keywords

• oscar wilde
• «the devoted friend»
• hegemony
• populism
• pragmatics
• resignification