The Christ as Man: The Secular Jesus of Oscar Wilde’s De Profundis and Richard Bruce Nugent’s “Tree with Kerioth-Fruit”

Abstract

This article aims at comparatively analyzing Oscar Wilde’s epistle De Profundis and Richard Bruce Nugent’s short story “Tree with Kerioth-Fruit”, exposing the way in which Wilde’s aesthetic philosophy and humanized version of Christ echo in the work of the Harlemite. Through a brief contextualization of the aestheticist and the decadent movements, the analysis introduces the prevailing theme of religion, elucidating the different modes of representation within Catholicism and Protestantism. Wilde’s depiction of Jesus is examined with both faiths in mind, as well as his interest in Hellenism. His Christ is a poet, an artist creating Himself and reshaping humanity with the power of his imagination. Additionally, by grounding Jesus’ miracles in reality and negating Catholic transubstantiation, Wilde is able to further secularize him. Nugent’s fictionalized depiction of Jesus is highly indebted to Wilde, who is cited and referenced in his oeuvre. In the short story, Christ is a poet, telling the story of his own myth and commissioning the apostles. His most devout follower is Judas, who aids in the narrativization of their lives by accepting the role of the betrayer. Thus, De Profundis and “Tree with Kerioth-Fruit” are analyzed as decadent texts that represent the Lord as a man and artist.