Oscar Wilde 6g12h

Oscar Wilde “The Picture of Dorian Gray”

By: Bre’Shay Johnson

Birth • Born on October 16, 1854 • Mothers name is Lady Jane sca Wilde • Fathers name was Sir William Wilde • Had an older brother, William Wills Wilde and younger sister, Isola sca Wilde

Family Info • Mother was a poet and journalist • Father was a Irish antiquarian, gifted writer and ear and eye disease specialist • His younger sister was very ill and died young

Growing Up • He wasn’t popular in school • He kept to himself and did not participate in any sports or other boyhood activities • He was misunderstood by his classmates but they were amazed by his ability to imitate the teacher

Schools Attended • Portora Royal School in Enniskillen County Fermanagh (1864-71) • Trinity College in Dublin (1871-74) • Magdalen College in Oxford (187478)

Marriage • Wilde married Constance Lloyd on May 29, 1884 • Together they had two sons, Cyril and Vyvyan • Wilde's marriage ended in 1893.

Wilde’s Affair • In 1891 Wilde began an affair with Lord Alfred Douglas, nicknamed ‘Bosie' • ‘Bosie’ became both the love of his life and his downfall • Wilde was put on trial for homosexuality charges in 1895 • Was sentenced to 2 years hard labor in jail for the crime of sodomy

Writing In Jail • During his time in prison he wrote De Profundis, a dramatic monologue and autobiography, which was addressed to Bosie.

The End

Upon Release • He wrote “The Ballad of Reading Gaol”, revealing his concern for inhumane prison conditions upon release in 1897 • He spent the rest of his life wandering Europe, staying with friends and living in cheap hotels • He died of cerebral meningitis on November 30, 1900, penniless, in a cheap Paris hotel

The Victorian Age • The Victorian age focused on the life and work of Queen Victoria. This was also a time of change because of the Industrial Revolution. And the literature produced at this time dealt with social issues.

Poems • Ravenna (1878) • Poems (1881) • The Sphinx (1894) • The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898)

Plays • The Nihilists (1880) • The Duchess of Padua (1883) • Salomé (French version) (1893, first performed in Paris 1896) • Lady Windermere's Fan (1892) • A Woman of No Importance (1893) • Salomé: A Tragedy in One Act: Translated from the French of Oscar Wilde by Lord Alfred Douglas with illustrations by Aubrey Beardsley (1894) • An Ideal Husband (1895) • The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) • A Florentine Tragedy Fragmentary. First published 1908 in Methuen's Collected Works

The Picture of Dorian Gray • This book is about a boy by the name of Dorian Gray who meets a man named Lord Henry Wonton at a studio. This studio is owned by Basil Hallward, who uses Dorian as a model for one of his paintings. Lord Henry convinces Dorian to put beauty before anything else in life. Because of this, when the painting of Dorian by Basil is complete, Dorian is very impressed by his youth and beauty. But then becomes fearful, because with age his beauty and youth will fade. This leads to Dorian being jealous of the picture because while he ages the picture will stay beautiful forever. Dorian and Lord Henry become great friends because Lord henry is impressed by his outlook on life. And Basil gets upset because he feel as though lord Henry has corrupted young Dorian’s mind.

Thesis • Oscar Wilde was a very important writer during the Victorian Period. He faced many challenges throughout life, even being throwed into to jail due to his homosexuality charge. And it all just made his works of art even better.