W = WILDE, Oscar - Author, A-Z Blog Challenge 2016

A flamboyant peacock, perhaps, but also a man with intelligence, wit, and style.

Oscar Wilde, by Napoleon Sarony - WC-

W = Wilde, Oscar - Author

Theme = Authors, AtoZ

Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (October 16, 1854 – November 30, 1900) was an Irish playwright, novelist, essayist, and poet. Wilde's parents were successful Anglo-Irish Dublin intellectuals. Their son became fluent in French and German early in life.

At the turn of the 1890s, he refined his ideas about the supremacy of art in a series of dialogues and essays, and incorporated themes of decadence, duplicity, and beauty into his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890). He wrote Salome (1891) in French in Paris but was refused a licence for England due to the absolute prohibition of Biblical subjects on the English stage. Unperturbed, Wilde produced four society comedies in the early 1890s, which made him one of the most successful playwrights of late Victorian London.

Criticism over artistic matters in the Pall Mall Gazette provoked a letter in self-defence, and soon Wilde was a contributor to that and other journals during the years 1885–87. He enjoyed reviewing and journalism; the form suited his style. He could organise and share his views on art, literature and life, yet in a format less tedious than lecturing. Wilde, like his parents before him, also supported the cause of Irish Nationalism. When Charles Stewart Parnell was falsely accused of inciting murder Wilde wrote a series of astute columns defending him in the Daily Chronicle.

With his youth nearly over, and a family to support, in mid-1887 Wilde became the editor of The Lady's World magazine, his name prominently appearing on the cover. He promptly renamed it The Woman's World and raised its tone, adding serious articles on parenting, culture, and politics, keeping discussions of fashion and arts. Two pieces of fiction were usually included, one to be read to children, the other for the ladies themselves.

In October 1889, Wilde had finally found his voice in prose and, at the end of the second volume, Wilde left The Woman's World. The magazine outlasted him by one volume.

The Picture of Dorian Gray

The first version of The Picture of Dorian Gray was published as the lead story in the July 1890 edition of Lippincott's Monthly Magazine, along with five others. The story begins with a man painting a picture of Gray. When Gray, who has a "face like ivory and rose leaves", sees his finished portrait, he breaks down. Distraught that his beauty will fade while the portrait stays beautiful, he inadvertently makes a Faustian bargain in which only the painted image grows old while he stays beautiful and young.

The Importance of Being Earnest

Wilde's final play again returns to the theme of switched identities: the play's two protagonists engage in "bunburying" (the maintenance of alternative personas in the town and country) which allows them to escape Victorian social mores. Earnest is even lighter in tone than Wilde's earlier comedies. Mostly set in drawing rooms and almost completely lacking in action or violence, Earnest lacks the self-conscious decadence found in The Picture of Dorian Gray and Salome

The play, now considered Wilde's masterpiece, was rapidly written in Wilde's artistic maturity in late 1894. It was first performed on February 14,1895, at St James's Theatre in London.  Earnest's immediate reception as Wilde's best work to date finally crystallised his fame into a solid artistic reputation. The Importance of Being Earnest remains his most popular play.

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Queensberry and Douglas

Lord Alfred's father, the Marquess of Queensberry, was known for his outspoken atheism, brutish manner and creation of the modern rules of boxing. Queensberry, who feuded regularly with his son, confronted Wilde and Lord Alfred about the nature of their relationship several times, but Wilde was able to mollify him. In June 1894, he called on Wilde without an appointment, and clarified his stance: "I do not say that you are it, but you look it, and pose at it, which is just as bad. And if I catch you and my son again in any public restaurant I will thrash you" to which Wilde responded: "I don't know what the Queensberry rules are, but the Oscar Wilde rule is to shoot on sight."

After Wilde's court trial for which Queensberry had accused him of homosexual activities, he is corralled by lawyers intent on destroying his reputation. They dig up potential witnesses in the London underworld which Wilde was known to frequent. His friends urge him to escape to France, but he stays to face the courts. 

In 1897, in prison in England, he wrote De Profundis, which was published in 1905, a long letter which discusses his spiritual journey through his trials, forming a dark counterpoint to his earlier philosophy of pleasure. In France, he wrote his last work, The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898), a long poem commemorating the harsh rhythms of prison life. 

Wilde was released from prison on May 18 1897 and sailed immediately for France. He would never return to Britain or to Ireland. He spent his last three years in impoverished exile.

Wilde's final address was at the dingy Hôtel d'Alsace (now known as L'Hôtel), on rue des Beaux-Arts in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Paris. "This poverty really breaks one's heart: it is so sale [filthy], so utterly depressing, so hopeless. Pray do what you can" he wrote to his publisher

Wilde died of cerebral meningitis on November 30, 1900. Wilde was initially buried in the Cimetière de Bagneux outside Paris; in 1909 his remains were disinterred and transferred to Père Lachaise Cemetery, inside the city. His tomb there was designed by Sir Jacob Epstein, and commissioned by Robert Ross, one of Wilde's long-time friends.

In 2011, the tomb was cleaned of the many lipstick marks left there by admirers, and a glass barrier was installed to prevent further marks or damage. The image shown below I took in 2010. I won't say anything about the marks on the tomb except that to me, they indicated the adoration that is shown to Oscar Wilde.

Tomb of Oscar Wilde, Pere Lachaise Cemetery, Paris by DG Hudson 2010

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Have you read any of Oscar Wilde's writings? Have you seen his tomb in Pere Lachaise Cemetery? Do you think a person's private life should pre-condition a judgement on their literary work OR should we view their work separate from their private lives?

Please leave a comment to let me know you were here and I'll respond. Thanks for dropping by! Sorry for the length of this post, but Oscar was an interesting guy. . .

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A to Z Challenge - 2016

It's April again and time for the 2016 Blogging from A to Z challenge  This is my 4th year participating in the challenge! (Previous A to Z  posts at the top of my blog page tabs are: Art A-Z, French Faves, Paris, Etc. 

Thanks to originator Lee (Arlee Bird at Tossing It Out), and the co-hosts and co-host teams who make the challenge run smoothly. See the list of participants, and other important information at the A to Z Blog site.  The basic idea is to blog every day in April except Sundays (26 days). On April 1st, you begin with the letter A, April 2 is the letter B, and so on. Posts can be random or use a theme.

Blogging from A to Z Challenge 2016 - Badge

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References:

Oscar Wilde - Wiki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Wilde 

W = Wilde Thing. A to Z Blogging Challenge 2012
Post about Oscar Wilde and his tomb in Pere Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, France.

http://dghudson-rainwriting.blogspot.ca/2012/04/w-wilde-thing-to-z-challenge.html

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A Wilde Book Review - The Picture of Dorian Gray

For a literary look at Victorian life, try reading The Picture of Dorian Gray.  This is the era of British history between 1837 and 1901, paralleling the reign of Queen Victoria. 


The author . . .Oscar Wilde





 

 

 



The Story. . .

The time was the turning of the nineteenth century into the twentieth, when new ideas about science and society were becoming popular. Knowledge was more accessible.  More people were reading.  Dorian Gray, a playboy by today's standards, was idolized by the young men in Victorian London as the epitome of sophistication and style.  (Photo Credit for photo of Oscar Wilde at end of post).


In the beginning of The Picture of Dorian Gray, when Lord Henry Wotton and Dorian Gray meet, the painting has just been completed. The artist, Basil Hallward, claims it as his best work. Dorian curses himself and the painting when he sees its beauty, his reactions evolving from self-love to self-pity. So begins his downward slide from society's parties into the world of illicit pleasures. Familiar Oscar Wilde quotes are found throughout the dialogue. I enjoyed this story of a man who found a high-cost way to stave off aging. It worked for a while.

 
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BONUS short story review:

 
Included at the end of the novel above, was a short story by Oscar Wilde, Lord Arthur Savile's Crime, about pre-ordained destinies and how knowledge of that information can affect the recipient's life.


One of the characters is a cheiromantist, similar to a psychic. What this man tells Lord Arthur changes his outlook on his happiness. This is London in the time of Sherlock Holmes.  The term, cheiromantist, may have gone out of use, but it generally means a 'seer who reads hands'. It's the first time I've come across the term.


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Have you read the book or seen the movie of The Picture of Dorian Gray?  Have you ever had your fortune told?  Do we really want to know?  What do you think?  Please share in the comments?

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References:

Book Credits: Oscar Wilde, 1854-1900, Irish poet, dramatist and author.

Signet Classics, March 2007, The Picture of Dorian Gray, 1891.

 

W=Wilde Thing, (Oscar), A to Z Blog Challenge 2012

http://dghudson-rainwriting.blogspot.ca/2012/04/w-wilde-thing-to-z-challenge.html

 

*IMAGE CREDIT: Oscar Wilde, by Napoleon Sarony, (Wikipedia, PD-Art)

This work is in the public domain in the United States, and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years or less. PD=public domain.

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W = Wilde Thing - A to Z Challenge

Wilde, Oscar
A man before his time. . .

Oscar Wilde, by Napoleon Sarony (Wikipedia, PD-Art)

Wilde, Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900) was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s. Today, he is remembered for his epigrams, plays and the circumstances of his imprisonment, followed by his early death.  His story is a good illustration of the society kiss of death.  One minute you're the darling, step out of line, and you're old news.

After university, Wilde moved to London into fashionable cultural and social circles.  He published a book of poems, lectured in the United States and Canada and then returned to London where he worked as a journalist.  Wilde became one of the most well-known personalities of his day. 



In mid-1887, Wilde was the editor of The Lady's World magazine, his name prominently appearing on the cover. He renamed it The Woman's World and raised its tone, adding serious articles on parenting, culture, and politics, keeping discussions of fashion and arts. Two pieces of fiction were usually included, one to be read to children, the other for the ladies themselves.


At the turn of the 1890s, he wrote of decadence, duplicity, and beauty in his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890). He wrote Salome (1891) in French in Paris but, it was refused a licence.  Wilde instead then produced four society comedies in the early 1890s, which made him one of the most successful playwrights of late Victorian London.



At the height of his fame and success, Wilde became embroiled in a social scandal related to his sexual preferences and ended up serving time in prison at hard labour.  Upon his release he left Ireland, never to return there or to Britain again. He lived the rest of his life in France, and there he wrote his last work, The Ballad of Reading Gaol, a long poem commemorating the harsh rhythms of prison life.

Oscar Wilde's Monument, before the cleaning, by DG Hudson

Oscar's health declined sharply until he collapsed during chapel from illness and hunger.  His right ear drum was ruptured in the fall, an injury that would contribute to his death. He spent two months in the infirmary.


Wilde's final address was at the dingy Hôtel d'Alsace (L'Hôtel) in Paris.  He died of cerebral meningitis on 30 November 1900, destitute in Paris at the age of forty-six.  Wilde's physicians, Dr. Paul Cleiss and A'Court Tucker, reported that the condition stemmed from an old suppuration of the right ear.

Oscar Wilde's Monument Side and front, before cleanup, by DG Hudson

In 1909, his remains were disinterred to Père Lachaise Cemetery inside the city.  His tomb was designed by Sir Jacob Epstein.  Until recently, Oscar's monument was covered with kisses, comments, signatures, and more as high as humans hands could reach.  The tomb was cleaned and partially covered by protective clear material.  See the video below for the details.

'No More Wilde Kisses' Huffington Post Article

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Do you like Oscar Wilde's writing? His witty quotes?  Please share any comments about his works that you've read.  Have you read or seen Dorian Gray?

DG's Theme:  Paris, Etc. (Art, Film, Places, and People
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References:
Pere Lachaise Cemetery, Oscar Wilde's Monument
http://dghudson.blogspot.ca/2012/01/paris-pere-lachaise-cemetery.html

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/oscar-wilde  Bio - Oscar Wilde

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Wilde  Oscar Wilde, general info

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/wilde_oscar.shtml Historic figures