Oscar WildeOscar Wilde  Born 1854 – Dublin, Ireland  Died 1900 – Paris, France  1884: Married Constance Lloyd  Two children together: Cyril and Vyvyan  Wrote numerous comic dramas ( The Importance of Being Ernest, Lady Windermere’s Fan, etc. )  Only one novel ( The Picture of Dorian Gray )

Oscar Wilde (cont.)Oscar Wilde (cont.)  Distinguished as a scholar, poseur, dramatist, and wit  Epigrams  Outlandish and controversial  Languid poses, velvet jacket, knee breeches, black silk stockings  “I have nothing to declare but my genius.”

The Aesthetic MovementThe Aesthetic Movement  Late 1800s in England  Influenced by French Symbolism and Decadence  1884: J.K. Huysmans wrote Á Rebours (Against the Grain)  Protagonist estranged from Parisian society and seeks out strange and new experiences  Lord Henry gives this book to Dorian in the novel  Art is fully autonomous  “Art for art’s sake.”  Should not be utilitarian or useful, moral or sentimental  Should provide only beauty and sensuous pleasure  Nature is flawed; only unnatural forms and styles are beautiful  Drugs and depravity

Personal LifePersonal Life  Admitted to writing somewhat about himself and his own reckless pursuit of pleasure  1891: Befriended Lord Alfred Douglas  Infuriated Marquis of Queensbury, Douglas’ father  The Marquis accused Wilde of being a sodomite and Wilde sued him for criminal libel  1895: Sentenced to two years hard labor  1897: Released, and now bankrupt, Wilde moved to Paris, where he died a few years later

Wilde’s WitWilde’s Wit  Epigram: Short, witty statement in prose or verse.  Paradox used for comic effect  Gained by a reversal of the expected meaning  “I suppose society is wonderfully delightful. To be in it is merely a bore. But to be out of it simply a tragedy.”  “I hope you have not been leading a double life, pretending to be wicked and being really good all the time. That would be hypocrisy.”  “I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.”

The Picture of Dorian GrayThe Picture of Dorian Gray  Published in 1890/1891  Good (Innocence) v. Evil (Sin)  Described as “mawkish and nauseous,” “unclean,” “effeminate,” and “contaminating”  Not a direct autobiography  “Basil Hallward is what I think I am; Lord Henry what the world thinks me; Dorian what I would like to be—in other ages, perhaps.”