October 16, 2015 – Chronicles of a Blogaholic

“Education is an admirable thing,
but it is well to remember
from time to time that nothing
that is worth knowing can be taught.”
Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde

He was an Irish playwright, poet, and novelist who is best known for The Importance of Being Earnest and The Picture of Dorian Gray. Famous for his biting wit, and flamboyant dress, Oscar Wilde became one of the best-known personalities of his time.

Born on October 16, 1854 in Dublin, Ireland, he studied at Trinity College, and at Magdalen College, in Oxford. Shortly after graduating from Magdalen he published his collected poems in 1881, when he was just twenty-seven years old, and was awarded the Newdigate prize for his poem, Ravenna.

While Oscar was touring London in 1881, he was introduced to Constance Lloyd the daughter of Horace Lloyd, a wealthy Queen’s Counsel. Constance was four years younger than Oscar, and was well-read, spoke several European languages and had an outspoken, independent mind. He proposed to her, and they married on 29 May 1884. They had two sons in quick succession, Cyril in 1885 and Vyvyan in 1886. With a family to support, Oscar accepted a job revitalizing the Woman’s World magazine, where he worked from 1887-1889.

The next six years were the most creative period of his life. He published two collections of children’s stories, The Happy Prince and Other Tales, and The House of Pomegranates as well as his first and only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. The novels implied homoerotic theme was considered very immoral by the Victorians and played a considerable part in his later legal trials.

In the summer of 1891, Oscar met Lord Alfred ‘Bosie’ Douglas, who was well acquainted with Oscar’s Dorian Gray novel. They soon became lovers and were inseparable until Wilde’s arrest four years later.

In April 1895, Oscar sued Bosie’s father for libel as the Marquis had accused him of homosexuality. Oscar withdrew his case but was himself arrested and convicted of gross indecency and sentenced to two years hard labor. Constance took the children to Switzerland and reverted to an old family name, Holland.

The year he was released from prison, Oscar wrote The Ballad of Reading Gaol, a response to the agony he experienced in prison. It was published shortly before Constance’s death in 1898. He and Bosie reunited briefly, but Oscar mostly spent the last three years of his life wandering Europe, staying with friends and living in cheap hotels.

Sadly, he was unable to rekindle his creative fires. When a recurrent ear infection became serious several years later, meningitis set in, and Oscar Wilde died on November 30, 1900.

His short stories, plays and poems continue to inspire millions around the world as well as famous quotes written by Oscar Wilde.

Shine On