A Critical Study of Major Themes in the Fiction of Angus Wilson

Abstract

<p>In this thesis I have examined some important themes in Wilson's fiction. These themes have been selected primarily because they figure significantly in all of Wilson's writing, from the earliest short stories (1946) to his latest novel No Laughing Matter (1967), and also because they have been recognised and frequently mentioned by him in his non-fictional works. I have attempted to assess these themes or patterns mainly from the point of view of Wilson's achievement as a moral satirist. Wilson's fiction has been studied particularly in the light of his own evaluation of them in The wild Garden and with reference to his other critical essays, in order to ascertain his objectives and achievements as a literary artist. I have looked rather closely at the biographical/psychological aspects of the themes because Wilson himself has placed a great emphasis on them. Due to the limited scope of the thesis, and also because Wilson is against experimentalist tradition in modern fiction, I have not attempted any stylistic evaluation of Wilson's works. Nor does this thesis aim at 'placing' Wilson in the history of English fiction.</p>