Oscar Wilde(1854-1900)
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A gifted poet, playwright and wit, Oscar Wilde was a phenomenon in
19th-century England. He was illustrious for preaching the importance
of style in life and art, and of attacking Victorian narrow-mindedness.
Wilde was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1854. He studied at Trinity
College in Dublin before leaving the country to study at Oxford
University in England when he was in his early 20s. His prodigious
literary talent was recognized when he received the Newdegate Prize for
his outstanding poem "Ravenna". After leaving college his first volume
of poetry, "Patience", was published in 1881, followed by a play, "The
Duchess of Padua", two years later. It was around this time that Wilde
sparked a sensation.
On his arrival to America he stirred the nation with his flamboyant
personality: wearing long silk stockings--an unusual mode of
dress--long, flowing hair that gave the impression to many of an
effeminate and a general air of wittiness, sophistication and
eccentricity. He was an instant celebrity, but his works did not find
recognition until the publication of "The Happy Prince and Other Tales"
in 1888. His other noted work was his only novel, was "The Picture of
Dorian Gray" (1890), which caused controversy as the book evidently
attacked the hypocrisy of England. It was later used as incriminating
evidence at Wilde's trial, on the basis of its obvious homosexual
content.
Wilde was a married man with children, but his private life was as a
homosexual. He had an affair with a young snobbish aristocrat named
Lord Alfred Douglas. Douglas' father, the Marquess of Queensberry, did
not approve of his son's relationship with the distinguished writer,
and when he accused Wilde of sodomy, Wilde sued the Marquess in court.
However, his case was dismissed when his homosexuality--which at the
time was outlawed in England--was exposed. He was sentenced to two
years hard labor in prison. On his release he was a penniless, dejected
man and soon died in Paris. He was 46.
Wilde is immortalized through his works, and the stories he wrote for
children, such as "The Happy Prince" and "The Selfish Giant", are still
vibrant in the imagination of the public, especially "The Picture of
Dorian Gray", the story of a young handsome man who sells his soul to a
picture to have eternal youth and beauty, only to face the hideousness
of his own portrait as it ages, which entails his evil nature and
degradation. The book has been interpreted on stage, films and
television.
19th-century England. He was illustrious for preaching the importance
of style in life and art, and of attacking Victorian narrow-mindedness.
Wilde was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1854. He studied at Trinity
College in Dublin before leaving the country to study at Oxford
University in England when he was in his early 20s. His prodigious
literary talent was recognized when he received the Newdegate Prize for
his outstanding poem "Ravenna". After leaving college his first volume
of poetry, "Patience", was published in 1881, followed by a play, "The
Duchess of Padua", two years later. It was around this time that Wilde
sparked a sensation.
On his arrival to America he stirred the nation with his flamboyant
personality: wearing long silk stockings--an unusual mode of
dress--long, flowing hair that gave the impression to many of an
effeminate and a general air of wittiness, sophistication and
eccentricity. He was an instant celebrity, but his works did not find
recognition until the publication of "The Happy Prince and Other Tales"
in 1888. His other noted work was his only novel, was "The Picture of
Dorian Gray" (1890), which caused controversy as the book evidently
attacked the hypocrisy of England. It was later used as incriminating
evidence at Wilde's trial, on the basis of its obvious homosexual
content.
Wilde was a married man with children, but his private life was as a
homosexual. He had an affair with a young snobbish aristocrat named
Lord Alfred Douglas. Douglas' father, the Marquess of Queensberry, did
not approve of his son's relationship with the distinguished writer,
and when he accused Wilde of sodomy, Wilde sued the Marquess in court.
However, his case was dismissed when his homosexuality--which at the
time was outlawed in England--was exposed. He was sentenced to two
years hard labor in prison. On his release he was a penniless, dejected
man and soon died in Paris. He was 46.
Wilde is immortalized through his works, and the stories he wrote for
children, such as "The Happy Prince" and "The Selfish Giant", are still
vibrant in the imagination of the public, especially "The Picture of
Dorian Gray", the story of a young handsome man who sells his soul to a
picture to have eternal youth and beauty, only to face the hideousness
of his own portrait as it ages, which entails his evil nature and
degradation. The book has been interpreted on stage, films and
television.