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Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900). The Importance of Being Earnest. Childhood. Wilde’s father, William Wilde was educated as a doctor, was medical advisor during the Irish Census of 1841 Specialized in ear and eye diseases Opened St. Mark’s Ophthalmic Hospital in Dublin, as a service to the poor.

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Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

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  1. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) The Importance of Being Earnest

  2. Childhood • Wilde’s father, William Wilde was educated as a doctor, was medical advisor during the Irish Census of 1841 • Specialized in ear and eye diseases • Opened St. Mark’s Ophthalmic Hospital in Dublin, as a service to the poor

  3. Wilde’s mother, Jane Francesca Elgee, was a poet with a working knowledge of most European languages • Had three children • William “Willie” Charles Kingsbury • Oscar FingalO’Flahertief (October 16, 1854) • Isola Emily Francesca

  4. Oscar attended the Portora Royal School at Enniskillen • Studied the classics • Top of his class his last two years • Attended Trinity College in Dublin, earned several awards and graduated top of his class • Published his first collection of poetry, “Poems,” in 1881

  5. May 29, 1884 – married Constance Lloyd • Two children • Cyril in 1885 • Vyvyan in 1886

  6. Major Works • Children’s Stories • “The Happy Prince and Other Tales” (1888) • “The House of Pomegranates” (1892) • Novel • “The Picture of Dorian Gray” (1890) – plot was considered immoral by Victorians • Plays • Lady Windermere’s Fan (1892) • A Woman of No Importance (1893) • An Ideal Husband (1895) • The Importance of Being Earnest (1895)

  7. Last Years • Summer of 1891 – met Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas • Became involved romantically • Bosie’s father accused Wilde of homosexuality • Oscar was arrested and convicted of gross indecency and sentenced to two years hard labor • Wrote “The Ballad of Reading Gaol,” a response to his agony in prison • A recurrent ear infection became meningitis; Oscar died November 30, 1900

  8. The Importance of Being Earnest • Setting • Victorian England, 1895 - Queen Victoria's reign from June 1837 until her death in January 1901 • long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence for Britain • High levels of morality • Sexual restraint • Low tolerance of crime • Strict social code of conduct

  9. Themes • Triviality - "That we should treat all trivial things in life very seriously, and all serious things of life with a sincere and studied triviality.” – Oscar Wilde • Duplicity to avoid public situations

  10. Comedy of Manners • an entertainment form which satirizes the manners and affectations of a social class or of multiple classes • often represented by stereotypical stock characters • also known as a Restoration comedy  • The plot, often concerned with scandal, is generally less important than its witty dialogue.

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