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
Siblings: William Charles Kingsbury (brother) and Isola Emily Francesca (sister, died young from fever)
Education
Attended Trinity College, Dublin
Continued at Magdalen College, Oxford
Involved in the athletic movement
Literary Career
Move to London: After graduation, pursued a literary career
American Lecture Tour: 1882, traveled from London to New York, met prominent literary figures (Walt Whitman, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
Marriage: Married Constance Lloyd on May 29, 1884; had two children: Cyril and Lillian
Publications
Revitalized: Women's World magazine (1887-1889)
Children's Collections:
"The Happy Prince and Other Tales" (1888)
"The House of Pomegranates" (1892)
Novel:
"The Picture of Dorian Gray" (first and only novel, published in Lippincott's magazine in 1890)
Plays:
"Lady Windermere's Fan" (1882)
"A Woman of No Importance" (1893)
"An Ideal Husband" (1895)
"The Importance of Being Earnest" (1895)
Legal Issues and Imprisonment
Affair with Alfred Douglas, son of the Marquess of Queensberry
Queensbury's legal actions:
Sent a calling card accusing Wilde of being a sodomite
Wilde sued for defamation
Trial: Queensbury vs. Wilde
Wilde's homosexuality was exposed, including homoerotic passages from his works and love letters
Conviction: Found guilty of gross indecency, sentenced to two years in prison in 1895
Death
Died in 1900 from meningitis shortly after being released from prison
Conclusion
Oscar Wilde is remembered as a brilliant and controversial figure in literature.