Oscar Wilde Biography

Oscar Wilde, Dramatist
Born asOscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde
Occup.Dramatist
FromIreland
BornOctober 16, 1854
Dublin, Ireland
DiedNovember 30, 1900
Paris, France
CauseMeningitis
Aged46 years
Early Life and Education
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was born on October 16, 1854, in Dublin, Ireland. He was the second of 3 children born to Sir William Wilde and Jane Wilde. His daddy was a prominent cosmetic surgeon and benefactor, while his mother was a poet and a strong Irish nationalist who wrote under the pseudonym "Speranza". This lively intellectual environment most likely influenced Wilde's later career as an author.

Wilde went to Trinity College, Dublin, where he mastered Classics, and later was awarded a scholarship to Magdalen College at Oxford University. At Oxford, Wilde ended up being known for his wit and flamboyant design. He won the prominent Newdigate Prize for his poem "Ravenna" and finished with a double very first in his B.A. examinations in 1878. His time at Oxford solidified his fascination with the aesthetic and decadent motions, which would later on penetrate his work.

Profession and Notable Works
After graduating, Wilde transferred to London, where he became a prominent figure in the visual motion, which promoted "art for art's sake". His flamboyant dress, sharp wit, and remarkable ability as a conversationalist made him a credibility as a leading literary figure of his time.

Wilde's very first major literary success came in 1888 with the publication of "The Happy Prince and Other Tales", a collection of fairy tales composed for his children. In 1891, he released "The Picture of Dorian Gray", his only book and a work that explored styles of vanity, ethical duplicity, and hedonism. While critically controversial due to the fact that of its perceived immorality, it sealed Wilde's position as a crucial and questionable writer.

The 1890s marked Wilde's a lot of productive period, especially in drama. His plays, including "Lady Windermere's Fan" (1892), "A Woman of No Importance" (1893), "An Ideal Husband" (1895), and his most famous play, "The Importance of Being Earnest" (1895), were met vital praise and commercial success. These works were celebrated for their biting humor, witty dialogue, and social satire.

Personal Life
In 1884, Wilde wed Constance Lloyd, with whom he had two children, Cyril and Vyvyan. Regardless of his marital relationship, Wilde's later years were marred by scandal over his relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas, a young poet. Douglas was the son of the Marquess of Queensberry, who virulently opposed Wilde's relationship with his son, eventually resulting in Wilde's failure.

Trial and Imprisonment
In 1895, Wilde initiated a libel case against the Marquess of Queensberry, who had actually left a calling card at Wilde's club implicating him of being homosexual. The trial that occurred uncovered Wilde's homosexual relationships, which were illegal in Britain at the time, causing his arrest and conviction for "gross indecency" under the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885. Wilde was sentenced to two years of difficult labor, first at Pentonville and after that at Reading Gaol, during which time he wrote among his most poignant works, "De Profundis", a long letter assessing his life and experiences.

Later Life and Death
Following his release in 1897, Wilde exiled himself to France, where he lived under the name Sebastian Melmoth. During this duration, he composed "The Ballad of Reading Gaol" (1898), a long poem about the severe realities of life in prison.

Wilde struggled with bad health and financial troubles throughout his ins 2015. He died of meningitis on November 30, 1900, in Paris. He was 46 years of ages. At the time of his death, his reputation was in tatters, but his work slowly gained back popularity and important honor and is now celebrated for its wit, literary quality, and exploration of humanity.

Tradition
Oscar Wilde's life and works stay prominent and popular more than a century after his death. His plays are extensively carried out, his witticisms regularly quoted, and his life story continues to mesmerize those intrigued by the complexities of human society and sexuality. Wilde is remembered as one of the best playwrights and an essential figure in the shift between Victorian and modern-day literature.

Our collection contains 167 quotes who is written / told by Oscar, under the main topics: Art - Love - Friendship - Dreams - Experience.

Related authors: Henrik Ibsen (Poet), Camille Paglia (Author), Walt Whitman (Poet), Oliver Herford (Author), Olivia Wilde (Actress), Lord Alfred Douglas (Poet), Lord Alfred Douglas (Poet), Lawrence Taylor (Athlete), Jude Law (Actor), Dion Boucicault (Dramatist)

Frequently Asked Questions
  • Q: What was Oscar Wilde's cause of death?
    A: Cerebral meningitis
  • Q: Did Oscar Wilde have children?
    A: Yes, he had two sons.
  • Q: Who was the man who destroyed Oscar Wilde?
    A: Lord Alfred Douglas
  • Q: How old was Oscar Wilde?
    A: He became 46 years old
Source / external links:

167 Famous quotes by Oscar Wilde

Small: Questions are never indiscreet, answers sometimes are
"Questions are never indiscreet, answers sometimes are"
Small: Children begin by loving their parents after a time they judge them rarely, if ever, do they forgive th
"Children begin by loving their parents; after a time they judge them; rarely, if ever, do they forgive them"
Small: To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance
"To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance"
Small: America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between
"America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between"
Small: The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it... I can resist everything but temptation
"The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it... I can resist everything but temptation"
Small: Nothing can cure the soul but the senses, just as nothing can cure the senses but the soul
"Nothing can cure the soul but the senses, just as nothing can cure the senses but the soul"
Small: Democracy means simply the bludgeoning of the people by the people for the people
"Democracy means simply the bludgeoning of the people by the people for the people"
Small: Whenever a man does a thoroughly stupid thing, it is always from the noblest motives
"Whenever a man does a thoroughly stupid thing, it is always from the noblest motives"
Small: Now that the House of Commons is trying to become useful, it does a great deal of harm
"Now that the House of Commons is trying to become useful, it does a great deal of harm"
Small: Men marry because they are tired women, because they are curious both are disappointed
"Men marry because they are tired; women, because they are curious; both are disappointed"
Small: He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends
"He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends"
Small: The world is a stage, but the play is badly cast
"The world is a stage, but the play is badly cast"
Small: Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead
"Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead"
Small: In America the young are always ready to give to those who are older than themselves the full benefits
"In America the young are always ready to give to those who are older than themselves the full benefits of their inexperience"
Small: When the gods wish to punish us they answer our prayers
"When the gods wish to punish us they answer our prayers"
Small: Arguments are extremely vulgar, for everyone in good society holds exactly the same opinion
"Arguments are extremely vulgar, for everyone in good society holds exactly the same opinion"
Small: It is only the modern that ever becomes old-fashioned
"It is only the modern that ever becomes old-fashioned"
Small: The moment you think you understand a great work of art, its dead for you
"The moment you think you understand a great work of art, it's dead for you"
Small: All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. Thats his
"All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That's his"
Small: No man is rich enough to buy back his past
"No man is rich enough to buy back his past"
Small: It is better to be beautiful than to be good. But... it is better to be good than to be ugly
"It is better to be beautiful than to be good. But... it is better to be good than to be ugly"
Small: Women are never disarmed by compliments. Men always are. That is the difference between the sexes
"Women are never disarmed by compliments. Men always are. That is the difference between the sexes"
Small: This suspense is terrible. I hope it will last
"This suspense is terrible. I hope it will last"
Small: Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is wort
"Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught"
Small: Why was I born with such contemporaries?
"Why was I born with such contemporaries?"
Small: Memory... is the diary that we all carry about with us
"Memory... is the diary that we all carry about with us"
Small: Women love us for our defects. If we have enough of them, they will forgive us everything, even our gig
"Women love us for our defects. If we have enough of them, they will forgive us everything, even our gigantic intellects"
Small: Women are made to be loved, not understood
"Women are made to be loved, not understood"
Small: Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about
"Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about"
Small: Be yourself everyone else is already taken
"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken"
Small: Woman begins by resisting a mans advances and ends by blocking his retreat
"Woman begins by resisting a man's advances and ends by blocking his retreat"
Small: It is a very sad thing that nowadays there is so little useless information
"It is a very sad thing that nowadays there is so little useless information"
Small: Hatred is blind, as well as love
"Hatred is blind, as well as love"
Small: Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious
"Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious"
Small: An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all
"An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all"
Small: An excellent man he has no enemies and none of his friends like him
"An excellent man; he has no enemies; and none of his friends like him"
Small: A gentleman is one who never hurts anyones feelings unintentionally
"A gentleman is one who never hurts anyone's feelings unintentionally"
Small: How can a woman be expected to be happy with a man who insists on treating her as if she were a perfect
"How can a woman be expected to be happy with a man who insists on treating her as if she were a perfectly normal human being"
Small: Morality is simply the attitude we adopt towards people whom we personally dislike
"Morality is simply the attitude we adopt towards people whom we personally dislike"
Small: I see when men love women. They give them but a little of their lives. But women when they love give ev
"I see when men love women. They give them but a little of their lives. But women when they love give everything"
Small: Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes
"Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes"
Small: Ambition is the last refuge of the failure
"Ambition is the last refuge of the failure"
Small: Ambition is the germ from which all growth of nobleness proceeds
"Ambition is the germ from which all growth of nobleness proceeds"
Small: The basis of optimism is sheer terror
"The basis of optimism is sheer terror"
Small: To expect the unexpected shows a thoroughly modern intellect
"To expect the unexpected shows a thoroughly modern intellect"
Small: I choose my friends for their good looks, my acquaintances for their good characters, and my enemies fo
"I choose my friends for their good looks, my acquaintances for their good characters, and my enemies for their intellects. A man cannot be too careful in the choice of his enemies"
Small: When a man has once loved a woman he will do anything for her except continue to love her
"When a man has once loved a woman he will do anything for her except continue to love her"
Small: I can resist everything except temptation
"I can resist everything except temptation"
Small: There is nothing so difficult to marry as a large nose
"There is nothing so difficult to marry as a large nose"
Small: Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth
"Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth"
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