Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde was an Irish writer and public intellectual whose plays, novel, and essays combined epigrammatic wit with critiques of Victorian morality and social convention.

Aestheticism: A late nineteenth-century movement that valued beauty and art independently of moral or practical purposes. Wilde defended art’s autonomy and became one of Aestheticism’s most visible advocates.
The Importance of Being Earnest: Oscar Wilde’s 1895 comedy in which two men invent identities to escape social obligations. Its absurd plot turns respectability and the social value of a name into comic targets.
Lord Alfred Douglas: A British poet and Oscar Wilde’s intimate companion, known as Bosie. Douglas’s relationship with Wilde became entangled in the libel case that led to Wilde’s prosecution.
Trinity College Dublin: A university in Dublin where Oscar Wilde studied classics before continuing his education at Oxford. Wilde’s classical studies there preceded his academic distinction and literary reputation in England.
Wilde v. Queensberry: Oscar Wilde’s 1895 criminal libel case against the Marquess of Queensberry, which Wilde ultimately withdrew. The failed action exposed evidence that led prosecutors to pursue criminal charges against Wilde.
Epigram: A brief, pointed statement that expresses an idea with wit or apparent paradox. Wilde’s plays and essays are especially known for memorable, paradoxical epigrams.
The Picture of Dorian Gray: Oscar Wilde’s novel about a young man whose portrait bears the marks of his corrupt life. The novel brings Wilde’s debate about beauty, morality, and art into a Gothic story.
Marquess of Queensberry: John Sholto Douglas, a British nobleman remembered for his public conflict with Oscar Wilde. His accusation prompted Wilde to bring a libel action that exposed him to criminal prosecution.
Magdalen College, Oxford: An Oxford college where Oscar Wilde studied from 1874 to 1878. Wilde developed his literary identity at Oxford and won the Newdigate Prize for poetry.
Gross indecency: A historical British criminal offense used to prosecute sexual acts between men. Wilde was convicted under this offense and sentenced to two years’ hard labor.

Linked from 49 pages