#oscar wilde epigrams

[pandora-books]

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."

Oscar Wilde, Lady Windmere's Fan

[philosophybitmaps]

[blueheartbooks]

"The Duality of Beauty and Decay: Oscar Wilde's Masterpiece, The Picture of Dorian Gray"

Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" unfolds as a decadent tapestry woven with the threads of beauty, morality, and the consequences of unchecked hedonism. Published in 1890, this novel is a timeless exploration of the corrupting influence of aestheticism and the intricate dance between art and morality. The title alone evokes a sense of mystery and allure, foreshadowing the dark and enigmatic journey that readers are about to embark upon.

At the heart of the narrative is the titular character, Dorian Gray, a young and exceptionally handsome man whose portrait, painted by the talented artist Basil Hallward, captures the essence of his youth and beauty. Dorian becomes infatuated with the idea of eternal youth and makes a Faustian pact—his portrait will age and bear the consequences of his immoral actions, while he remains untouched by the ravages of time.

The novel explores the concept of aestheticism, a philosophy championed by Wilde himself, which emphasizes the pursuit of beauty and the rejection of conventional morality. Dorian Gray, initially an emblem of aesthetic perfection, descends into a life of decadence, indulging in every pleasure the world has to offer without regard for the ethical ramifications. Wilde's razor-sharp wit and satirical commentary on the superficiality of society are evident as Dorian navigates the underbelly of Victorian London.

Wilde's prose is a marvel, a poetic symphony that captures the essence of his aesthetic philosophy. The novel is replete with epigrams and witticisms that showcase Wilde's keen observation of human behavior and society's obsession with appearances. The writing is both ornate and cutting, creating a delightful tension that mirrors the duality inherent in the narrative.

The characters surrounding Dorian Gray add depth to the exploration of morality and corruption. Lord Henry Wotton, a charismatic and cynical aristocrat, serves as the catalyst for Dorian's moral descent. His aphorisms and influence on Dorian encapsulate the allure of a life unfettered by societal norms. Basil Hallward, the artist who initially captures Dorian's beauty, becomes a symbol of the internal struggle between art and morality.

The narrative is enriched by the symbolic significance of the portrait itself. As Dorian's sins accumulate, the portrait undergoes a grotesque transformation, reflecting the moral decay hidden beneath the veneer of youth and beauty. The portrait becomes a haunting reminder of the consequences of a life lived without moral restraint, a visual representation of the soul's degradation.

"The Picture of Dorian Gray" is not merely a cautionary tale but a profound exploration of the human condition. Wilde challenges the superficiality of societal values, prompting readers to confront the inherent tension between aesthetic pursuits and ethical responsibilities. The novel's themes remain relevant, inviting contemporary readers to reflect on the price of unchecked desire and the pursuit of an idealized, hedonistic existence.

In conclusion, Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" stands as a literary masterpiece that transcends its Victorian origins. The novel's exploration of beauty, morality, and the consequences of decadence remains as relevant today as it was over a century ago. Wilde's unparalleled wit, coupled with the timeless relevance of the novel's themes, solidify its place in the literary canon as a work that continues to provoke thought and captivate readers with its exploration of the eternal struggle between the allure of beauty and the inevitability of moral decay.

Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" is available in Amazon in paperback 11.99$ and hardcover 19.99$ editions.

Number of pages: 188

Language: English

Rating: 10/10                                           

Link of the book!

Review By: King's Cat

[blueheartbookclub]

"The Duality of Beauty and Decay: Oscar Wilde's Masterpiece, The Picture of Dorian Gray"

Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" unfolds as a decadent tapestry woven with the threads of beauty, morality, and the consequences of unchecked hedonism. Published in 1890, this novel is a timeless exploration of the corrupting influence of aestheticism and the intricate dance between art and morality. The title alone evokes a sense of mystery and allure, foreshadowing the dark and enigmatic journey that readers are about to embark upon.

At the heart of the narrative is the titular character, Dorian Gray, a young and exceptionally handsome man whose portrait, painted by the talented artist Basil Hallward, captures the essence of his youth and beauty. Dorian becomes infatuated with the idea of eternal youth and makes a Faustian pact—his portrait will age and bear the consequences of his immoral actions, while he remains untouched by the ravages of time.

The novel explores the concept of aestheticism, a philosophy championed by Wilde himself, which emphasizes the pursuit of beauty and the rejection of conventional morality. Dorian Gray, initially an emblem of aesthetic perfection, descends into a life of decadence, indulging in every pleasure the world has to offer without regard for the ethical ramifications. Wilde's razor-sharp wit and satirical commentary on the superficiality of society are evident as Dorian navigates the underbelly of Victorian London.

Wilde's prose is a marvel, a poetic symphony that captures the essence of his aesthetic philosophy. The novel is replete with epigrams and witticisms that showcase Wilde's keen observation of human behavior and society's obsession with appearances. The writing is both ornate and cutting, creating a delightful tension that mirrors the duality inherent in the narrative.

The characters surrounding Dorian Gray add depth to the exploration of morality and corruption. Lord Henry Wotton, a charismatic and cynical aristocrat, serves as the catalyst for Dorian's moral descent. His aphorisms and influence on Dorian encapsulate the allure of a life unfettered by societal norms. Basil Hallward, the artist who initially captures Dorian's beauty, becomes a symbol of the internal struggle between art and morality.

The narrative is enriched by the symbolic significance of the portrait itself. As Dorian's sins accumulate, the portrait undergoes a grotesque transformation, reflecting the moral decay hidden beneath the veneer of youth and beauty. The portrait becomes a haunting reminder of the consequences of a life lived without moral restraint, a visual representation of the soul's degradation.

"The Picture of Dorian Gray" is not merely a cautionary tale but a profound exploration of the human condition. Wilde challenges the superficiality of societal values, prompting readers to confront the inherent tension between aesthetic pursuits and ethical responsibilities. The novel's themes remain relevant, inviting contemporary readers to reflect on the price of unchecked desire and the pursuit of an idealized, hedonistic existence.

In conclusion, Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" stands as a literary masterpiece that transcends its Victorian origins. The novel's exploration of beauty, morality, and the consequences of decadence remains as relevant today as it was over a century ago. Wilde's unparalleled wit, coupled with the timeless relevance of the novel's themes, solidify its place in the literary canon as a work that continues to provoke thought and captivate readers with its exploration of the eternal struggle between the allure of beauty and the inevitability of moral decay.

Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" is available in Amazon in paperback 11.99$ and hardcover 19.99$ editions.

Number of pages: 188

Language: English

Rating: 10/10                                           

Link of the book!

Review By: King's Cat

[livingfictionsystem]

See, the thing is, a couple of different friends that went alone to see Wilde on his deathbed reported that his last words were, "Either this wallpaper goes, or I do."

Which means in his delirious, dying, agonizing last hours, he thought of a clever phrase and made sure he kept saying it each time a friend would visit to make sure that'd get penned down as his last words.

If that is not the Biggest mood in the entire world, I don't know what is.

-Xanthe

[artemispickle]

Quote Investigator, my beloved.

https://quoteinvestigator.com/2024/01/19/imitation-flattery/

TL/DR: People have been quipping on the theme “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” since the 1700s. In the 1800s (starting years before Oscar’s birth) the jibe against mediocrity was added. Although Oscar Wilde stated similar sentiments throughout his life, the exact phrasing of the quote above didn’t appear until 1999, in a Virginian newspaper.

“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.”

—Oscar Wilde

It's so funny to me that people always forget the last part of that quote. Like, Oscar Wilde was a petty bitch and honestly? Relatable.

[mrmousetolliver]

Oscar Wilde photographed by Napeleon Sarony Oscar Wilde is an Irish poet and playwright best known for his epigrams and plays, his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, and his criminal conviction for gross indecency for homosexual acts. In February of 1895, the Marquess of Queensberry left his calling card at Wilde's club inscribed "To Oscar Wilde, posing somdomite[sic]". Against the advice of nearly everyone who knew him, Wilde sued the Marquess for libel. The trial, considered to be one of the first celebrity trials, did not go well for Wilde. Queensberry was found not guilty, as the court declared that his accusation that Wilde was "posing as a Somdomite [sic]" was justified, "true in substance and in fact". Soon. after, a warrant for Wilde's arrest was issued on the charges of sodomy and gross indecency. In April of 1895 he was was arrested for "gross indecency" under Section 11 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885, a term meaning homosexual acts not amounting to buggery aka sodomy. After two trials, the first resulting in a hung jury, in May of 1895 he was found guilty and sentenced to two years hard labor. After being released in 1897, Wilde spent his last years impoverished and in exile. He died in 1900 in France. n 2017, Wilde was among an estimated 50,000 men who were pardoned for homosexual acts that were no longer considered offences under the Policing and Crime Act 2017, known informally as the Alan Turing law

[novelties-and-notions]

From The Complete Works of Piers Q MacBean, volume 8, Despatches From a Dark Cupboard (or Closet)

So many memories cluster round me in the darkness of this cupboard (or closet), freed from the chains of actuality. Just now, I recall vividly the afternoon I spent with Oscar Wilde in his little house in Chelsea.

I found him alone in a room rich with peacock feathers, lilies, blue china and objets d'art. The aesthete was poised languidly in a large winged armchair. He was dressed in purple velvet; his brown hair fell in artful waves brushing the shoulders of his outlandish jacket. He was gazing wistfully at a sunflower that he held limply in his left hand. On sensing my entrance, he placed the bloom reverently in a Chinese vase, and rose to greet me.

During the course of that afternoon, I was well entertained by talk of matters of art and sensibility. As the daylight faded, we drank jasmine tea out of tiny delicate porcelain cups without handles, and nibbled elaborately decorated pastries, which did not taste as good as they looked. "But the patissier's art is art first and foremost. Nourishment is mere afterthought," he said, arranging some crumbs in an oriental pattern on his plate.

"But should not that art cater to taste with taste?" I asked.

At this, his eyes sparkled mischievously. "My young friend," he exclaimed. "Could it be that you care to cross wits with me?" Without waiting for an answer, he leapt to his feet and cried "En garde!"

"Allez!" I responded eagerly.

For a few moments we eyed each other in silence, looking for signs of vulnerability. Then, without warning, Wilde lunged with a polished aphorism. I parried easily with an offhand quip, and riposted with an epigram. "Touché!" he cried admiringly, but then counter-attacked with a volley of bons-mots, which I deflected with difficulty by replying in kind. The battle grew heated, the air rang with wit and repartee.

As I felt myself tiring, I released a string of witty sayings, which forced my opponent on to the defensive. I felt victory within my grasp, but then he delivered an outrageous paradox with dazzling wit. I staggered, and he followed with a volley of well-turned phrases, which I could only attempt to deflect with a few feeble puns.

I could do no more, and accepting the inevitable, I yielded to his superior wit. We shook hands, and he graciously called me a worthy opponent. He seated himself, and took up his sunflower once more. It was clear that my visit was at an end, so I removed myself from his rarefied presence.

As I walked slowly down the street, I thought of an aphorism which would have cut through his defences and granted me certain victory. I have forgotten it again now.

[shushbang]

"We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell."

— Oscar Wilde's epigram

[denimbex1986]

'At the start of our interview, Andrew Scott and I are squeezing into a booth in the restaurant at the British Film Institute. It is very similar to the one occupied by Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan's characters in When Harry Met Sally. Quick as a flash, the actor smiles at me and says, “I'll have what she's having.”

Scott goes on to remark that he often dreads reading interviews with actors and hopes this won't be another that he recoils from. “Sometimes talking about acting can be reductive and a bit boring. Of course,” he adds, breaking into a wry, self-mocking grin, “I'm not like that. I'm completely fascinating. Everything I say is a bon mot. It's epigram after epigram. It's like sitting with Oscar Wilde... Although I have better hair!”

Witty. Mischievous. Charming.

These are precisely the qualities that catapulted Scott to stardom as Moriarty in BBC1's worldwide hit drama, Sherlock. People were already talking about him as a striking new talent after his first brief, if completely scene-stealing, 10-minute appearance in Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss's compelling modern-day reworking of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic detective stories.

His performance as Holmes's dastardly foe – by turns mesmerising and menacing – won Scott the best supporting actor Bafta award last year, beating his co-star Martin Freeman (who plays John Watson in Sherlock) in the process.

It was not exactly an overnight success for Scott – the 37-year-old Irishman had for many years been turning in very creditable, if not such conspicuous performances in dramas such as Lennon Naked (in which he gave a memorable Paul McCartney opposite Christopher Ecclestone's John Lennon), The Hour, John Adams and Band of Brothers.

But Moriarty, who appeared to come to a sticky end at the end of the last series on Sherlock, transformed Scott's profile. Moriarty is the archetypal baddie who has all the best lines, and his popularity meant that the actor was soon being offered leading roles in ITV1 dramas such as The Town and The Scapegoat.

Scott, who was raised in Dublin, where his father worked in an employment agency and his mother was an art teacher, has the volume turned down in real life and has no need to turn the dial up to 11 in the way that Moriarty does. But you can see that he still possesses the same razor-sharp instincts as Sherlock's arch-enemy.

The actor is the first to acknowledge that playing the role of Moriarty has moved his career up several notches. Picking at a croissant, he reflects that: “Sherlock has changed all our careers, and I'm really pleased about that. It gives you the benefit of the doubt because executives like to see recognisable faces.

“It was overwhelming to be on a TV show that is quite so popular. That took me totally by surprise. People had an instant affection for it from the first episode. The reaction was extraordinary. People still come up to me in the street all the time, wanting to talk about it.”

Sherlock fans are known as some of the most passionate in the business, but Scott says they are generally delightful. “There is this impression that the fans are crazy, but they're not – they're very respectful. They don't overstep the mark. I get a lot of fan mail. Of course, some of it is a bit creepy, but mostly it's very moving and creative. People send me drawings and their own versions of Sherlock stories. It's a source of escapism for people and that's great.

“I'm an enthusiast for people, and I don't want them to become the enemy. I've seen that happen to colleagues who are disturbed the whole time, but there's a certain degree of control you can have if you keep yourself to yourself. The kind of actors I admire move through different characters and genres. That's the kind of actor I try to be. If you want that, you have to be circumspect about your private life.”

Scott thinks the character made such an impact because, “Moriarty came as a real surprise to people”. He adds: “He doesn't have to do the conventional villain thing. He is witty, and people like that. He is also a proper match for Sherlock. He's very mercurial, too. I have since been offered to play a lot of different characters, and that's because Moriarty is a lot of different characters. He changes all the time.”

The next legacy of the “Sherlock Effect” is that Scott is starring in a one-off BBC2 drama entitled Legacy. An adaptation by Paula Milne of Alan Judd's bestselling 2001 espionage novel, this is an absorbing contribution to the BBC's “Cold War” season. In this film, set at the height of the conflict between the UK and the USSR in 1974, which goes out on Thursday 28 November, Scott plays Viktor Koslov, a KGB spy.

Charles Thoroughgood (Charlie Cox), a trainee MI6 agent, tries to reconnect with Viktor, an old friend from their Oxford days, in an attempt to “turn” him. However, Victor adroitly turns the tables on Charles with a shocking revelation about the British spy's family. Deliberately shot in Stygian gloom, Legacy captures the murky world of the secret services where cynicism and duplicity are part of the job description. Its tagline could well have been: “Trust no one.”

The film convincingly conjures up the drabness of the 1970s, all three-day weeks, petrol rationing and power cuts. Scott says: “Characters in those days called from phone boxes – whoever does that now? The film fits the era. It has a melancholic tone. It's very brown and downbeat.”

Scott particularly enjoyed playing the ambiguity of Viktor's character. “I like the idea that you don't know who he is. It's important that you feel for Viktor and his predicament. You have to feel he's a human being with a family. But both he and Charles are elusive figures – it's not clear whose side they're on. It's not at all black-and-white, and that's why the film is so shadowy.”

The actor boasts a terrific Russian accent in Legacy. Where did it come from? “There isn't a huge amount of footage of Russians speaking English as a second language, so I started looking at Vladimir Putin videos on YouTube. But then Putin introduced anti-gay legislation this summer – so, being a gay person, I switched to Rudolf Nureyev videos instead. It was another Nureyev defection of sorts!”

Scott is low-key on the subject of his sexuality. “Mercifully, these days people don't see being gay as a character flaw. But nor is it a virtue, like kindness. Or a talent, like playing the banjo. It's just a fact. Of course, it's part of my make-up, but I don't want to trade on it. I am a private person; I think that's important if you're an actor. But there's a difference between privacy and secrecy, and I'm not a secretive person. Really I just want to get on with my job, which is to pretend to be lots of different people. Simple as that.”

Scott is very much getting on with the job at present. He has many intriguing projects in the pipeline, including starring in Jimmy's Hall, the new Ken Loach movie about a political activist expelled from Ireland during the “Red Scare” of the 1930s. He is also appearing with Tom Hardy and Ruth Wilson in Locke, a film about a man whose life is falling apart, and in The Stag, a movie about a stag weekend that goes horribly wrong. In addition, he is headlining alongside Bill Nighy, Dominic West and Imelda Staunton in Matthew Warchus's movie Pride, a true story about an alliance between the mine workers and the lesbian and gay community during the 1984 miners' strike.

If he can possibly find any spare time, Scott is also open to comedy offers. “Everything in life has to have an element of comedy about it. I did Design for Living at the Old Vic in 2010 – Noël Coward was a master of comedy. The audience were convulsing every night. It's such a joyous feeling to hold a pause and wait for the laughter. There is no better high. Forget about drugs!”

But despite the fact that producers are now cold-calling him like overeager mis-sold PPI salesmen, Scott won't be rushing into the first role he's offered. One positive by-product of his success is his ability to be choosy about what he does. He observes: “You have to be brave to turn things down, but there is a certain power to that. I've had offers to do more regular TV series, but I don't regret rejecting them. If money and fame are not your goals, then it becomes easier. American agents use the expression, 'this could be a game-changer'. The implication is that you want the game to change. But I don't. I don't have a plan. I like unpredictability and randomness.

“People get distracted by box-office figures and take jobs because they think it will advance their careers. Of course, it's nice to get a big cheque and be able to buy a massive house, but my view is that we're not here long, so why not do something of value?”

So Scott is very happy with where he's at. “To do all these different things is a dream for me. My idea of a successful actor is not the most recognisable or the richest – it's someone who is able to do a huge amount of different stuff. I don't want to be known for just one thing.”

It's true that Scott is now broadening his career far beyond Moriarty. But I can't resist one final question on the subject: Is there any chance that Moriarty will, like his nemesis, be making a Lazarus-like comeback in the new series of Sherlock? Scott has, after all, been photographed filming scenes for the upcoming third season.

“People ask me that every day. It's a small price to pay for having been in such a wonderful show,” he teases. But he is forbidden from spilling the beans about Moriarty's fate in Sherlock even to close family members.

So has Moriarty played one more dastardly trick on us by faking his own suicide? Or are the scenes the actor has been shooting merely flashbacks? Scott could tell us, but then – like some ruthless Cold War spy – he would have to kill us...'

[xabiramone]

#Obituary

Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is best remembered for his epigrams and plays, his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, and the circumstances of his criminal conviction for gross indecency for consensual homosexual acts in "one of the first celebrity trials", imprisonment, and early death from meningitis at age 46.💖#LovingMemory

[pandora-books]

"Questions are never indiscreet, answers sometimes are."

Oscar Wilde, An Ideal Husband

[manmetaphysical]

Oscar Wilde was BOTD on the16th October in Dublin in 1854. It’s good to remember him today but who could ever forget Mr.Wilde? He was the most desirable dinner party guest as he’d have you in stitches with jokes and stories while he drank all your champagne and flirted with the male guests.

Just to utter his name in full could make someone giddy - Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde.

Born with Sun and Venus in Libra but with Mercury in Scorpio, so what stands out is that under the smooth polished surface of finely- honed and innocuous sounding epigrams was a sting in the tail. His famous bon mots which had all of London society gossiping might flow off the tongue but could be subversive too. They often turn ideas on their heads like ‘I can resist everything except temptation’ and ‘work is the curse of the drinking classes’ that was a way to satisfy his rebellious mother, and have all of London society thinking what an utter ‘charade’ society is, with the Lords and Ladies with posh names as puppets of its machinery of class, money and snobbery.

Back in 2018 I wrote about Wilde’s mastery of the symmetrical statement: "His words have an aesthetic style typical of Libra. When he said things like “It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it,” he gives permission for us to be liberated from the heavy mental furniture of fixed polarities. It triggers a breeze of light in the mind. As a Libran, he toyed with this skill effortlessly, and for readers the effect is that we glimpse beyond the implied conflict. But Wilde's sayings depended on dexterous use of technical figures of speech: 'paralleling', 'chiasmus', 'syllepsis', 'zeugma'- these tropes often involving repetitions sudden reversals of what is expected. Thankfully, he had the power to juggle and dazzle. His Mercury was strong as it ruled the First and Tenth Houses and resided in the 3rd house of communications, although in the sign of Scorpio which gave it that memorably caustic edge."

He always seems somewhat theatrical even overblown - Sun square Jupiter- but with many layers of meaning that are revealed only after deep thinking. ‘To define is to limit’, he said, so his words leave many ambiguities lingering in the air.

With a Moon in Leo and Mars in Sagittarius, nothing could hold him back from his fiery feelings passions and adventures, not even marriage or being a father. And with Saturn square to Neptune, his anguish was grist to his artistic achievements- 'Picture of Dorian Gray' will stand the test of time as a gothic novel with its theme of mirroring and the shadow and his play 'The Importance of Being Earnest' has to be the most artificially plotted piece of hilarious fluff ever written- hence hugely enjoyable. He put his genius into his life, he said and only his talent into his work. And most would agree. It is to the life we look for a model, a parable, of the martyr to moral blindness. ‘The world was my oyster but I used the wrong fork’, he said.

He was born in the year Tiger in Chinese astrology which gave him a rare boldness. He shares that with French poet, Arthur Rimbaud. It would not be possible in this short thumbnail to encapsulate all the fun that an artist like Oscar Wilde offers, his influence in Aesthetics and as a Symbolist poet and all the actors who have played him in film what synastry they have with his chart. He was familiar with all things French, and not just the absinthe, but his life story is that warning to the unwary and will probably end up as perennial folk tale. He reminds us of the importance of doing nothing and discussing everything and that wit can be a great weapon against injustice.

A small detail but very poignant is that model and Velvet Underground singer, Nico, who became a heroin addict, adored European literature. She also shared Oscar Wilde’s birthday -16th October -and on her death on the roadside in Ibiza in 1988 as she fell off her bike and had a seizure, and lay there for hours before being taken to hospital, it appeared that she was carrying a book by Oscar Wilde.

#oscarwilde #wilde #Libra #artist #epigrams #Mercury #astrology #wit #wisdom #Nico #Rimbaud

[using-another-blog-now]

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

Anglo-Irish writer of novel, plays, poems, epigrams and short stories

notable works: "The Portrait of Dorian Gray", "The Importance of Being Earnest", "The Ballad of Reading Gaol"

popular playwright of the 1890s in London

well-known for his highly aesthetic writing and his arrogant attitude towards the society of his time

imprisoned and sentenced to two years of hard labour for his homosexuality, and upon release he never returned to England

-

"They hanged him as a beast is hanged:   They did not even toll A reguiem that might have brought   Rest to his startled soul, But hurriedly they took him out,   And hid him in a hole." (...)

"The Chaplain would not kneel to pray   By his dishonored grave: Nor mark it with that blessed Cross   That Christ for sinners gave, Because the man was one of those   Whom Christ came down to save.

Yet all is well; he has but passed   To Life's appointed bourne: And alien tears will fill for him   Pity's long-broken urn, For his mourner will be outcast men,   And outcasts always mourn."

("The Ballad of Reading Gaol", Oscar Wilde, 1898)

-

[stairnaheireann]

#OTD in 1900 – Death of playwright, novelist, and poet, Oscar Wilde, in Paris.

Oscar Wilde was an Irish author, playwright and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in the early 1890s. He is remembered for his epigrams, his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, his plays, as well as the circumstances of his imprisonment and early death. Married to Constance Lloyd and father of two children Cyril (1885-1915)…

[alphaman99]

"Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is best remembered for his epigrams and plays, his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, and the circumstances of his criminal conviction for gross indecency for consensual homosexual acts in "one of the first celebrity trials", imprisonment, and early death from meningitis at age 46. Wilde's parents were Anglo-Irish intellectuals in Dublin. A young Wilde learned to speak fluent French and German. At university, Wilde read Greats; he demonstrated himself to be an exceptional classicist, first at Trinity College Dublin, then at Oxford. He became associated with the emerging philosophy of aestheticism, led by two of his tutors, Walter Pater and John Ruskin. After university, Wilde moved to London into fashionable cultural and social circles."

Born: Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde, October 16, 1854, Dublin, Ireland