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Introduction

Oscar Wilde

A “love that dare not speak its name” found a somewhat involuntary spokesman in Oscar Wilde. Wilde’s homosexuality and the indecency trial it spurred in 1895 have gained so much critical and literary attention as to threaten to eclipse Wilde’s notable body of work. At a time when late melodrama and early realism characterized much of English theater, Wilde distinguished himself as an author of unparalleled wit. His most famous work, The Importance of Being Earnest, remains the standard for social satire. In Earnest, as in his play An Ideal Husband, Wilde made upper-class Victorian life hilariously ridiculous. Ironically, its premiere would be his last great success. His romantic relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas drew Wilde into a legal battle with the young man’s father. Wilde was sentenced to two years of hard labor and died a few years after his release.

Essential Facts

1. Wilde is often associated with the aesthetic movement called “Art for Art’s Sake,” which posits that art is self-sufficient and does not need to have a moral, social, or political purpose.
2. Along with his sparkling prose, Wilde is also known for his flamboyant fashion sense. He often, for example, wore green carnations in his jacket lapel.
3. The Picture of Dorian Gray, a classic of English literature, was Wilde’s only full-length novel.
4. Among Wilde’s many controversial views were his socialist politics. His views are detailed in his essay “The Soul of Man Under Socialism.”
5. After he was released from prison, Wilde went to Paris, where he died penniless and divorced in 1900.