Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde, was born on October 16 1854 in Dublin Ireland and died in Paris France on November 30 1900. He was a playwright, novelist, poet, and critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest playwrights of the Victorian Era. During his lifetime he wrote nine plays, one novel, and numerous poems, short stories, and essays.
Wilde came from a literary and professional background. His father, Sir William Wilde, was Ireland’s leading ear and eye surgeon as well as a gifted writer who also published books on topics such as archaeology, folklore. His mother was a revoluntionary poet and journalist and expert on Celtic myth and folklore.
He attended Portora Trinity College, Dublin from 1871 to 1874, and then Magdalen College, Oxford from 1874 to 1878. During his period at Oxford, he became involved in the aesthetic movement and became an advocate for ‘Art for Art’s Sake’ (L’art pour l’art). After having graduated, in 1879 he moved to London and went to live in Chelsea to establish a literary career. In the early 1880s, when Aestheticism was the rage and despair of literary London, Wilde soon affirmed himself in social and artistic circles by his wit and flamboyance. In 1882 the poet toured America and Canada giving lectures on the beauty of art, despite a great amount of hostility in the press due to his apperance the tour was a success and lasted 12 months. Uppon his return to Great Britain he lectured on his impressions of America. In 1884 he married Constance the daughter of a prominent Irish barrister, with whom he had two children Cyril and Vyvyan, born in 1885 and 1886. In 1888 he wrote the renowned fairy tale “The HappyPrice” for his two sons. His first and only novel “The Picture of Dorian Grey” was published in 1891. In this novel Wilde combined the supernatural elements of the Gothic novel, with the unspeakable sins of French decadent fiction. Even if now days the writter is best known for this work, at the time the novel received quite a negative response, owing to it’s homoerotic overtones that created something of a scandal among the Victorian critics and their stringent views regarding morality. On the other hand though, as a playwright his society plays such as “The Importance of being Earnest” or “An Ideal Husband” and many others plays were a resounding success. In 1891, Wilde started an affair with Lord Alfred Douglas nicknamed “Bosie” who was to become the love of his life, but also his downfall. Two years later the poet divorced his wife. In 1895 at the height of his carrer as a playwright he sued sued Bosie’s father for libel as the Marquis of Queensberry had accused him of homosexuality. Wilde’s case collapsed within three days, however, when the evidence went against him. at the time there was a law that criminalized sexual acts between men, after a long trial he was found guilty and sentenced to two years in prison at hard labour. In 1897 he was released from prison but he was bankrupt, he imediately moved to France where he died three years later in poverty.
The Picture of Dorian Grey
Summary:
In the stately London home of his aunt, Lady Brandon, the well-known artist Basil Hallward meets Dorian Grey. Dorian is a educated, wealthy, and impossibly beautiful young man who instantly captures Basil’s artistic flare. Dorian poses for several portraits, and Basil often depicts him as an ancient Greek hero or a mythological figure. The novel begins with , the artist who is completing his first portrait of Dorian as he truly is, but, as he confides to his friend Lord Henry Wotton, the potrait disappoints him, because it reveals too much of his feeling for his subject. Lord Henry, a famous wit who enjoys scandalizing his friends by celebrating youth, beauty, and the selfish pursuit of pleasure, disagrees with the artist,claiming that the portrait is Basil’s masterpiece. Dorian arrives at the studio, and Basil reluctantly introduces him to Lord Henry, who he fears will have a damaging influence on the susceptible, young Dorian.
Basil’s concerns are well grounded; soon after, Lord Henry upsets Dorian with a discourse regarding the transient nature of beauty and youth. Worried that these being his most impressive qualities, are fading day by day, Dorian curses his portrait, which he believes will one day remind him of his lost beauty. In a spate of distress and rage, he pledges his soul if only the painting could bear the burden of age and infamy, enabling him to stay forever young. Following Dorian’s outbursts, Lord Henry reiterates his desire to own the painting; however, Basil insists the portrait belongs to Dorian.
During the course the following weeks, Lord Henry’s influence over Dorian grows stronger. The youth becomes a disciple of the “new Hedonism” and advocates to live a life dedicated to the pursuit of pleasure. He falls in love with Sibyl Vane, a young actress who performs in a theater in London’s slums. He adores her acting; she, in turn, refers to him as “Prince Charming” and refuses to pay attention to the warnings of her brother, James Vane, who says that Dorian is no good for her. Overcome by her emotions for Dorian, Sibyl decides that she can no longer act, asking herself, how can she pretend to love on stage, now that she has experienced the real emotion. Dorian, who loves Sibyl owing to her ability to act, cruelly breaks his engagement to her. After doing so, he returns home to notice that his face in Basil’s portrait has changed: it now sneers. Frightened that his wish for his likeness in the painting to bear the ill effects of his behavior has come true and therefore his sins will be recorded on the canvas, he decides to make amends with Sibyl the next day. The following afternoon, however, Lord Henry brings news that Sibyl has killed herself. At Lord Henry’s urging, Dorian decides to consider her death an artistic triumph of sorts, she personified tragedy—and to put the matter behind him. Meanwhile, Dorian hides his portrait in a remote upper room of his house, where no one other than he can watch its transformation.
Lord Henry gives Dorian a book that describes the wicked exploits of a nineteenth-century Frenchman; it becomes Dorian’s bible as he sinks ever deeper into a life of sin and corruption. He lives a life devoted to garnering new experiences and sensations with no regard for conventional standards of morality or the consequences of his actions. Eighteen years pass. Dorian’s reputation suffers in circles of polite London society, where rumors spread regarding his scandalous exploits. His peers nevertheless continue to accept him because he remains young and beautiful. The figure in the painting, however, grows increasingly wizened and hideous. On a dark, foggy night, Basil Hallward arrives at Dorian’s home to confront him about the rumors that plague his reputation. The two argue, and Dorian eventually offers Basil a look at his (Dorian’s) soul. He shows Basil the now-hideous portrait, and Hallward, horrified, begs him to repent. Dorian claims it is too late for penance and kills Basil in a fit of rage.
In order to dispose of the corpse, Dorian employs the help of an estranged friend, a doctor, whom he blackmails. The following night, Dorian makes his way to an opium den, where he encounters James Vane, who attempts to avenge Sibyl’s death. Dorian escapes to his country estate. While entertaining guests, he notices James Vane peering in through a window, and he becomes wracked by fear and guilt. When a hunting party accidentally shoots and kills Vane, Dorian feels safe again. He resolves to amend his life but cannot muster the courage to confess his crimes, and the painting now reveals his supposed desire to repent for what it is—hypocrisy. In a fury, Dorian picks up the knife he used to stab Basil Hallward and attempts to destroy the painting. There is a crash, and his servants enter to find the portrait, unharmed, showing Dorian Gray as a beautiful young man. On the floor lies the body of their master—an old man, horribly wrinkled and disfigured, with a knife plunged into his heart.