| dc.description.abstract | This thesis explores the counterintuitive concept of the fallen man in literature from the mid- and late-Victorian period. The fallen man is a concept that has gained almost no attention and space in the novels and reception from the nineteenth century as well as in modern critical works. I argue that the fallen man is very much present in Victorian novels. The research shows that the fallen man is a complex concept, and that the fall is not strictly linked to sexuality and loss of purity as it often is with the better known female counterpart, the Victorian fallen woman. The thesis examines how fallen men are depicted in Elizabeth Gaskell s Ruth, Thomas Hardy s Jude the Obscure and Oscar Wilde s The Picture of Dorian Gray and De Profundis. Earlier critical readings have overlooked the importance of the male characters in these novels in terms of transgression. The thesis argues that fallen men exist across class distinction, that the fallen men have been protected by patriarchal society and the double standard, which are some of the reasons why fallen men have gained so little attention. Further, the thesis shows that in many situations, the fallen man s transgressions undercut his masculinity. The thesis is structured around three main chapters, each exploring different aspects of the fallen man, what leads to the fall and how knowledge about the fall becomes crucial for determining the societal punishment. Chapter one discusses the male fall from a male promiscuous/sexual and a financial view, with an emphasis on the upper- and middle class. Chapter two emphasises how the working class and middle class fallen man, through the lens of aspiration of social mobility and the institution of marriage, and how failing to comply with the traditional male role leads to fallenness. The third chapter explores homosexuality and homosexual desire in the fin de siècle, and how what was perceived as deviant sexuality leads to fallenness. | eng |