Oscar Wilde Biography

Oscar Wilde is one of the most iconic figures from late Victorian society.
Enjoying a meteoric rise to the top of society, his wit, humour and
intelligence shine through his plays and writings. For his sexuality he
suffered the indignity and shame of imprisonment. For a long time his
name was synonymous with scandal and intrigue. However with
changing social attitudes he is remembered with great affection for his
biting social criticism, wit and linguistic skills.
To get back my youth I would do anything in the world,
except take exercise, get up early or be respectable.
Oscar Wilde
As Stephen Fry wrote of Oscar Wilde.
What of Wilde the man? He stood for Art. He stood for
nothing

less

all

his

life..

He

is

still

enormously

underestimated as an artist and a thinker.. Wilde was a

great writer and a great man.
Short biography Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde was born on 16th October 1854 in Dublin, Ireland. His
parents were well known and attracted a degree of gossip for their
extravagant lifestyles. In 1964, his father Wille Wilde was knighted for his
services to medicine. However his pride in receiving this honour was

overshadowed by an allegation of rape by one of his patients. Although

never proved, it cast a shadow over William Wilde.
Oscar Wilde proved to be a student of great talent. He was awarded a
scholarship to Trinity College Dublin. Here he studied the classics, in
particular developing an interest in the Greek philosophers and the
Hellenistic view of life. From Trinity College he won a scholarship to
Magdalen College, Oxford University. He enjoyed his time in Oxford and
was able to develop his poetic sensibilities and love of literature. He also
became more conscious of his bisexual nature. For his increasing
feminine dress he often received stick from more traditional Oxford
students. He was a brilliant scholar, but also increasingly rebellious. In
one academic year he got rusticated for turning up to College three
weeks after the start of term. Thus, after a while he lost interest in
pursuing an academic career in Oxford and moved to London. It was in
London that he was able to skilfully enter into high society, soon
becoming well known as a playwright and noted wit. Oscar Wilde became
famous throughout London society. He was one of the early celebrities
in some respects he was famous for being famous. His dress was a
target for satire in the cartoons, but Wilde didnt seem to mind. In fact he
learnt the art of self-publicity and seemed to revel in it, at least up until
his trial in 1898.
Oscar Wildes trial gripped the nation, the subject matter a source of
intense gossip and speculation. For his crime of homosexual acts,
Wilde was subject to two years hard labour in Wandsworth and then
Reading Gaol. It is no understatement to say this experience deeply
shocked and affected the previously ebullient Wilde. In some respects he
never really recovered; on his release, he left for Paris where he lived in
comparative anonymity. However he retained his wit and continued to
write, heavily influenced by his chastening experiences. Of these post
gaol writings, his poem Ballad of Reading Gaol is perhaps the most well
known, illustrating a new dimension to Wildes writing.
I
With
Upon

never

saw

such
that

man
a

little

who
wistful

tent

looked
eye

of

blue

Which

prisoners

And

at

every

call

the

drifting

cloud

sky,
that

went

in

pain,

With sails of silver by.

I

walked,

with

Within
And

souls

another
was

A
When

other

wondering
great

voice

if

ring,

the

or
behind

man

had

little
me

done
thing,

whispered

low,

That fellows got to swing.

From: Ballad of Reading Gaol
Although Wilde couldnt return to his previous level of writing

he

developed new capacities, whilst retaining his sharp intellect. As

Jonathon Fryer commented on Oscar Wildes final part of life he was.
beaten but not bowed, still a clown behind a mask of
tragedy.
The Life of Wilde was turbulent and volatile never short of incident. It
reflected his own inner paradoxes and revolutionary views. In some ways
he was both a saint and sinner at the same time. Rightly or wrongly
Wilde is remembered as much for his life as his writings. However he
himself said.
I have put my talent into writing, my genius I have saved
for living.
His writings reflect in part his paradoxical view of life, suggesting things
were not always as they appeared. As his biographer Richard Ellman said
of Wilde.
Along with Blake and Nietzsche , he was proposing that
good and evil are not what they seem, and that moral tabs
cannot cope with the complexity of behaviour
Whatever one may make of Wildes life, his capacity for writing remains
undeniable. His greatest work and comedy is arguably The Importance

of Being Earnest. Here the plot line is thin to say the least but Wilde
brings it alive through his scintillating repertoire of wit and biting humour.
Relations are simply a tedious pack of people, who havent
got the remotest knowledge of how to live, nor the smallest
instinct about when to die.
Algernon, Act I
Thirty-five is a very attractive age. London society is full of
women of the very highest birth who have, of their own free
choice, remained thirty-five for years.
Lady Bracknell, Act III
Wilde was not an overtly political commentator, but through his plays
there is an underlying critique of social norms that are illumined for their
absurdities.
Wilde remains a fascinating character; someone who lived life to the full,
experiencing

both

the

joy

and

tragedy

of

societys

vacillating

judgements. With the distance of over a century, it is easier to judge

Wilde for his unique contributions to literature rather than through the
eyes of Victorian moral standards. His quotes have become immortal a
fitting tribute to a genius of the witticism
I am so clever that sometimes I dont understand a single
word of what I am saying.
-Oscar Wilde