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Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was born in Dublin on October 16, 1854. His father, William Wilde, was an eye and ear surgeon. His mother, Jane Francesca Elgee, wrote Irish Nationalist poetry under the pseudonym "Speranza."¹
Until he was nine, Wilde was educated at home, learning languages from his French bonne and German governess. After graduating from Porotra Royal School in Enniskillen, he went on to attend Trinity College in Dublin. There he demonstrated his talent for classical languages, earning the prestigious Berkeley Prize for Greek. Starting in 1874, Wilde attended Magdalen College, Oxford.¹
At Oxford, Wilde studied under John Ruskin and Walter Pater, both leading scholars of aesthetics. These men fostered Wilde's love of "art for art's sake"—the motto of aesthetic movement. Even before studying aestheticism, Wilde had long hair, dressed flamboyantly, and decorated his room according to the aesthetic style.¹
Early Life & Education
BIOGRAPHY
References
1. Gainor, J. Ellen., Stanton B. Garner, and Martin Puchner. The Norton Anthology of Drama. 2nd ed. Vol. 2. New York: W.W. Norton, 2009. Print.
2. Sherard, Robert Harborough. The Real Oscar Wilde. To be used as a supplement to, and in Illustration of “The Life of Oscar Wilde”. London: T. Werner Laurie. Web. 1 May 2016.
3. Sarony, Napoleon. "The Sarony Photographs Of Oscar Wilde." Oscar Wilde in America. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 May 2016.
4. "Closing Scene at the Old Bailey." The Illustrated Police News [London] 4 May 1895: N.p. British Library. Web. 2 May 2016.
5. "Oscar Wilde's Lipstick-covered Paris Tomb to be Protected." The Guardian [London] 26 Nov. 2011: N.p. Eb. 2 May 2016.
6. Robbins, Ruth. Oscar Wilde. London: Continuum, 2011. Print.
Oscar Wilde as a Child²
Aestheticism & Writing Career
Marriage & Love Life
Trial & Imprisonment
Exile & Death
Wilde reclining with Poems, originally published in 1881, taken by Napoleon Sarony in 1882.³
Wilde and Alfred Douglas in 1893.
The Illustrated Police News, 4 May 1895⁴
Oscar Wilde's lipstick-covered tomb in Paris.⁵
Oscar Wilde moved to London in 1878, establishing himself as a figurehead of the aesthetic movement due to his quick wit, best demonstrated in his clever quotes. Written in 1881, Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera Patience satirized aestheticism using a character named Bunthorne, modeled after Wilde, himself.¹
When Patience began touring the United States, Wilde accompanied the troupe as a representative aesthete. He traveled the nation, meeting important Americans, such as Ulysses S. Grant and Walt Whitman.¹
Upon returning to England, Wilde found the height of his writing career, publishing a set of critical essays, including "The Artist as Critic." Wilde also wrote his most famous novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, as well as five major plays, including his most famous, The Importance of Being Earnest (1895).¹
In 1884, Wilde married Constance Mary Llyod, fathering two sons within two years. In 1891, however, he met Lord Alfred Douglas, the third son of the ninth marquess of Queensberry. Almost immediately, the two became inseparable. When Douglas's father, Queensberry, became aware of their homosexual relationship, he sent a calling card to Wilde's London club with the inscription, "To Oscar Wilde, posing Somdomite [sic]."¹
Wilde charged Queensberry with criminal libel, bringing the case to court in April of 1895. Queensberry was able to present a list of male prostitutes who would testify against Wilde, confirming his illegal sexual activities. Therefore, Wilde withdrew his charges, fully acquitting the marquess.¹
After withdrawing his charges against the marquess, Wilde was immediately arrested for homosexual conduct. After two trials, he was sentenced to two years in prison with hard labor. Initially, the Victorian prison system deprived Wilde of reading materials, except for a Bible, hymnbook, and prayerbook. Under more lenient conditions, he was eventually able to obtain other books and writing materials, allowing him to write De Profundis (1905), a letter to Douglas concerning his own life and fate. Once released from prison in May 1897, he left England behind and moved to France.¹
During his self-imposed exile to France, Wilde began writing The Ballad of Reading Gaol in 1898, inspired by his time in prison. It narrates the execution of Charles Thomas Woolridge, a man who murdered his wife after learning of her infidelity.⁶ By the time he finished, however, his career as a writer was basically over. After three years of impoverished exile, Wilde died of cerebral meningitis in Paris on November 30, 1900, at the young age of forty-six.¹
Oscar Wilde left his mark on this world, revolutionizing society's perception of both art and sexuality. People have payed their respects by visiting his tomb in Paris, and even kissing the stone, leaving lip-stick stains to show their love and appreciation.⁵
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