Oscar Wilde: A Brief Biography

Introduction

• Oscar Wilde is a significant writer known for his brilliant works and controversial life.
• This presentation explores the fascinating life of Oscar Wilde.

Early Life

• Birth: October 16, 1854, in Dublin, Ireland.
• Family Background:
  • Father: William Wilde, an acclaimed doctor and founder of St. Mark's Hospital.
  • Mother: Jane Francesca Wilde, a revolutionary poet, wrote under the pseudonym "Speranza" for the newspaper "The Nation."
  • Siblings: William Charles Kingsbury (brother) and Isola Emily Francesca (sister, died young).

Education

• Attended Trinity College in Dublin and Magdalene College in Oxford.
• Involved in the athletic movement.

Career

• Move to London: Pursued a literary career after graduating.
• American Lecture Tour: In 1882, Wilde traveled to New York, meeting prominent American literary figures such as:
  • Walt Whitman
  • Oliver Wendell Holmes
  • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Personal Life

• Marriage: Married Constance Lloyd on May 29, 1884; had two children, Cyril and Lillian.
• Women's World Magazine: Revitalized the magazine from 1887 to 1889.

Major Works

• Children's Collections:
  • "The Happy Prince and Other Tales" (1888)
  • "The House of Pomegranates" (1892)
• Novel:
  • "The Picture of Dorian Gray" (1890) published in Lippincott's Magazine.
• Plays:
  • "Lady Windermere's Fan" (1882)
  • "A Woman of No Importance" (1893)
  • "An Ideal Husband" (1895)
  • "The Importance of Being Earnest" (1895)

Downfall and Imprisonment

• Relationship: Affair with Alfred Douglas, the son of the Marquess of Queensberry.
• Legal Troubles:
  • Queensbury sent a calling card accusing Wilde of sodomy.
  • Wilde sued Queensbury for libel but was countered with evidence of his homosexuality.
  • Convicted of gross indecency in 1895, sentenced to two years in prison.

Death

• Died in 1900 from meningitis shortly after being released from prison.