Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde is among the most recognizable philosophers in the field of aestheticism. An exemplary Irish poet, Oscar Wilde also had an outstanding taste of fashion. Consequently, he was highly admirable among his peers and also among other members of the society. Born in on 16th October 1854, Dublin was Wilde’s hometown. His family was quite wealthy and both of Oscar Wilde’s parents were excellent intellects.Sir William Wilde, his father, was an optician. His mother, Jane Elgee was a poet and a specialist in mass communications (Knox, 19). Consequently, Oscar Wilde had adequate motivation to pursue literature studies.
Oscar Wilde had two siblings and also two children. Although Oscar Wilde began his studies in Ireland, he later moved to England. In Britain, Oscar Wilde was highly popular due to his mastery of poetry, drama and other forms of literature. Trinity College is Oscar Wilde’s alma mater although he was also brilliant students of arts at Magdalen College in Oxford.In 1878, Oscar Wilde wrote his famous poem, Ravenna. This poem is extremely famous even in modern day literature studies (Danson, 87). After completing his studies in 1879, Oscar Wilde’s had extensive involvement in literature and arts. For instance, he was a leading force behind the aestheticism movement in Britain. Apart from poetry, Oscar Wilde was also a lecturer both in London and overseas.
Oscar Wilde also had a stint living in France in 1883. Wilde’s mastery of foreign languages like German and French was exemplary. His appreciation of different cultures was a significant pillar to Wilde’s literary style. In 1884, Wilde married his fiancée Constance. Similarly, Constance was from an affluent background. After marriage, the two had two children including one son and a daughter. In order to cater for the needs of his family, Oscar Wilde became a senior editor of the Woman’s World Magazine in 1887. Oscar Wilde lasted in this position for two years after which he quit in order to focus on private ventures.
Despite his enviable fame and unerring wit (Raby, 74), Oscar Wilde could not resist indulging in homosexuality with Lord Douglas. Although they met in 1891, the relationship became public two years later. This was a significant contributing factor for Constance to terminate her marriage to Wilde in 1893. The ensuing legal fights led to the imprisonment of Oscar Wilde (Wolfreys, 52). During his time in jail, Oscar Wilde had to endure hard labor as well as other adversities. After his release from prison, Oscar Wilde wrote numerous short stories and poems. In 1900, Oscar Wilde succumbed to illness while in the French city of Paris.
IMPORTANT ACHIEVEMENTS
Despite his controversial lifestyle, Oscar Wilde had various monumental achievements. Wilde’s works in literature have had extensive implications on literature even in the modern world. Wilde’s elegant style and ability to express personal issues through poetry was tremendous. He could easily articulate points and thus communicate easily with his audience. Following is an evaluation of some of Oscar Wilde’s most outstanding works.
The Ballad of Reading Gaol
This comprises of a poem that Wilde wrote after completing his sentence. Although Wilde has numerous motivations for writing the poem, his wife’s death had an influential role. Since its release, numerous poets have re-edited the Ballad of the Reading Gaol. This highlights the significant implication of the poem in arts. In the poem, Oscar Wilde incorporates numerous stylistic devices. For instance, he uses symbolism to highlight the uncouth nature of the prison officers. He also uses symbolism to illustrate the manner in which people are their own worst enemies (Brown, 71). This literary piece is outstanding because of its simplicity and ability to connect easily with the audience.
The Picture of Dorian Gray
In addition to poetry, Oscar Wilde’s contribution to art and literature is also evident through his novels. Although he wrote tens of novels, the Picture of the Dorian Gray is among the most outstanding works. Oscar Wilde worked on this novel in 1890 while he was still married to Constance. This play generated extensive criticism from different reviewers due to its emphasis on immoral behavior such as homosexuality (Danson, 170).In essence, this novel appears as a revelation of Oscar Wilde’s habits and code of conduct in real life. Despite such criticism, this novel has had extensive impacts on arts and literature. For instance, the novel helps in the enrichment of the aesthetic perspectives of literature. The novel is also insightful in terms of incorporation of numerous ideas into a single platform. Critics of this play also assert that it serves as a platform for negative influence on upcoming literature students. Nevertheless, the novel’s exemplary framework for creativity is extremely outstanding.
The Importance of Being Earnest
In addition to novels and poems, Oscar Wilde also had tremendous skills as a playwright. The Importance of Being Earnest is among the most outstanding plays by Wilde. He wrote this play in 1895. Although the play appears as a comedy, it has numerous literary themes that apply to social issues. One of the notable themes is the satirical representation of the society (Brown, 64). It is no coincidence that the release of this play was after Wilde’s trouble with social issues including his separation with Constance.The play presents numerous different perspectives about the sensitive social issues such as gender balance and rational choices. Another notable theme in Wilde’s play is triviality. For instance, Oscar Wilde paints marriage as a trivial issue (Knox, 52). This is one of the main reasons that the play elicits extensive criticism from different reviewers.
OSCAR WILDE’S LEGACY
Oscar Wilde’s legacy is evident in numerous ways. Firstly, he had an outstanding involvement in spearheading the activities of the aestheticism movement. His involvement in this movement stretches back to his years in school at Oxford. Together with other literature scholars, Oscar Wilde had firm beliefs in aestheticism and sought influence other people to appreciate it. Apart from aestheticism, another outstanding attribute about Oscar Wilde’s legacy is his literary skills (Brown, 55). Most of his works were exceptional due to the high standards of creativity and originality.His literary works were also insightful since they had extensive focus on issues in the society. In one of his plays, Oscar Wilde expresses concerns about the practicability and essence of marriage to people. This was through the theme of triviality. Due to his fame, Oscar Wilde had the capacity to attract massive audiences to his plays and also other works of literature.
Consequently, he had far reaching implications in terms of enhancing the profile of arts and literatures. He also had brief stints as a lecturer in Canada and United States. Consequently, Oscar Wilde had an international influence on literature and arts.Additionally, Oscar Wilde had brief spells working in Paris (Bristow, 18). This shows that he had extensive influence on the field of arts. An exemplary sense of style is another attribute that helps in presenting Oscar Wilde’s legacy. He had an excellent taste of fashion. This was evident through his unique choice of clothes and other accessories. Despite his unerring contribution to arts and literature, controversy is an outstanding attribute with regard to Oscar Wilde’s legacy. His involvement in homosexuality is perhaps the most notable attribute about Oscar Wilde’s controversial life. This behavior was also the main catalyst for his separation with Constance (Danson, 179).
Conclusion
The paper presents a comprehensive analysis of Oscar Wilde. In Britain, Oscar Wilde was highly popular due to his mastery of poetry, drama and other forms of literature. Trinity College is Oscar Wilde’s alma mater although he was also brilliant students of arts at Magdalen College in Oxford. In 1878, Oscar Wilde wrote his famous poem, Ravenna. This poem is extremely famous even in modern day literature studies. After completing his studies in 1879, Oscar Wilde’s had extensive involvement in literature and arts. For instance, he was a leading force behind the aestheticism movement in Britain.Although he wrote tens of novels, the Picture of the Dorian Gray is among the most outstanding works. Oscar Wilde worked on this novel in 1890 while he was still married to Constance. This play generated extensive criticism from different reviewers due to its emphasis on immoral behavior such as homosexuality. Together with other literature scholars, Oscar Wilde had firm beliefs in aestheticism and sought influence other people to appreciate it. Apart from aestheticism, another outstanding attribute about Oscar Wilde’s legacy is his literary skills.
References
Bristow, Joseph. Oscar Wilde and modern culture. OH: Ohio University Press, 2009
Brown, Julia. Cosmopolitan criticism: Oscar Wilde’s philosophy of art. University Press of Virginia, 1999
Danson, Lawrence. Wilde’s intentions: The artist in his criticism. Oxford, NY: Oxford University Press, 1999
Knox, Melissa. Oscar Wilde: The critic as creator. Rochester, NY: Camden House, 2001
Raby, Peter. The Cambridge companion to Oscar Wilde. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997
Wolfreys, Julian. Modern British and Irish criticism and theory: A critical guide. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2006
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