Miller-Wilde

​​ Oscar Wilde​

__Life__ __Victorian Era __ __Literary Works __
 * Born Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde
 * His mother expressed her literary talent under the pseudonym "Speranza" and passed this talent to Wilde
 * His sister’s young death deeply affected him and he carried a lock of her hair in an envelope for the rest of his life
 * Fascinated by beauty and dressed flamboyantly compared to Victorian fashion
 * Continued studies at oxford and received the Newdigate prize for his poem, “Ravenna”
 * His first book of poetry “Poems,” received good and bad reviews but it was enough to kick start his writing career
 * Married Constance Lloyd in 1884 and had two sons
 * Entered his most creative period after his family was established
 * Was later accused of and sentenced to hard labor for gross indecency (homosexuality)
 * After his sentenced was served he spent the rest of his life roaming Europe and living in cheap hotels and later died of meningitis
 * Victorian Era occurred in late 19th century
 * Name of era comes from name of ruling queen, Queen Victoria
 * Period associated with change due to industrial revolution
 * Much of the literature is concerned with social reform
 * Wilde was part of a subgroup that emerged in the latter half of the Victorian Era called the **decadents** who stressed pacifism, social reform, and libertarianism
 * Very extreme in their expressive style
 * The group criticized the content nature of the middle class and pointed out the hypocrisies in Victorian values and institutions
 * Other decadents included Arthur Symons and Ernest Dowson
 * Wilde’s work contained abundant wit evident in the quotes on this website []
 * One of his ongoing topics was the human condition
 * While he was an author of a novel and a collection of poems he was most successful as a playwright
 * He wrote and produced 9 plays which established him as one of the best playwrights of the Victorian Era
 * His sole novel // The Picture of Dorian Gray // received harsh criticism for its homoerotic theme
 * Upon his release from prison wilde wrote “ The Ballad of Reading Gaol,” which was a response to his time in prison
 * While at Oxford he helped to found the Aesthetic Movement. He also did a lecture tour on aesthetic values throughout the United States, Canada, and London

__ Noteworthy works[[image:oscar.jpg width="215" height="346" align="right"]] __
**1878** Ravenna **1881** Poems **1888** The Happy Prince and Other Tales **1889** The Decay of Lying **1891** The Picture of Dorian Gray **1891** Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime and Other Stories **1891** Intentions **1891** Salome **1892** The House of Pomegranates **1892** Lady Windermere’s Fan **1893** A Woman of No Importance **1893** The Duchess of Padua **1894** The Sphinx **1895** An Ideal Husband **1895** The Importance of Being Earnest **1898** The Ballad of Reading Gaol

Works Cited "English literature: The Victorian Age ? Infoplease.com." __Infoplease: Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlas, Biographies, Dictionary, Thesaurus. Free online reference, research & homework help. ? Infoplease.com__. 28 Apr. 2010 <[]>.

"The Official Web Site of Oscar Wilde." __CMG Worldwide__. 28 Apr. 2010 <[]>.

"Oscar Wilde - Biography and Works." __The Literature Network: Online classic literature, poems, and quotes. Essays & Summaries__. 28 Apr. 2010 .