Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin, Ireland. His father was a famous eye doctor, and was knighted for his excellent
service to Queen Victoria. His mother was a writer of patriotic Irish verse under the pseudonym, Speranza. He was
educated at Trinity College and later at Oxford--where he discovered the dangerous and delightful distinction
of being different from others. While studying at Oxford, Wilde was influenced by Walter Pater and his doctrine
of art for art's sake. After moving to London in 1879, Wilde greatly supported this belief and became the leader
and model of the aesthetic movement, which was based on this doctrine. Wilde was a poet and authour his whole
life. In 1884, he married Constance Lloyd. They had two sons: Cyril and Vyvyan. In 1891, he met Alfred
Douglas, the poet son of the Marquess of Queensberry, and they became attracted to each other. The Marquess
found out about their association and charged Wilde with homosexual offences. After two trials, Wilde was found
guilty and sentenced to two years of hard labor in prison. After he got out of prison, Wilde left England for France
and used the assumed name Sebastian, after the Christian martyr. He died poor in 1900.
Some photos of Oscar and family:
Oscar's wife, Constance.
Oscar
Oscar and Alfred Douglas
So how did Oscar influence his society, you say?
Well, as stated above, Oscar LOVED being different. He openly defied what is know today as Victorian prudery by dressing different,
thinking different, and even acting different than everyone else. He was even prosecuted by law for his individuality! In addition to that,
Oscar led the aesthetic movement, and encouraged people to pursue art simply because you want to; not because anyone else is paying
you or asks you to.
What about our society though??
Today, Oscar is recognized by many as a brilliant social commentator. Obviously, his ideals and ways of thinking were way ahead of
his time. He also inspires many of today's artists, even myself, to be daring and go against the normal everyday ways of thinking and
functioning.
Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin, Ireland. His father was a famous eye doctor, and was knighted for his excellent
service to Queen Victoria. His mother was a writer of patriotic Irish verse under the pseudonym, Speranza. He was
educated at Trinity College and later at Oxford--where he discovered the dangerous and delightful distinction
of being different from others. While studying at Oxford, Wilde was influenced by Walter Pater and his doctrine
of art for art's sake. After moving to London in 1879, Wilde greatly supported this belief and became the leader
and model of the aesthetic movement, which was based on this doctrine. Wilde was a poet and authour his whole
life. In 1884, he married Constance Lloyd. They had two sons: Cyril and Vyvyan. In 1891, he met Alfred
Douglas, the poet son of the Marquess of Queensberry, and they became attracted to each other. The Marquess
found out about their association and charged Wilde with homosexual offences. After two trials, Wilde was found
guilty and sentenced to two years of hard labor in prison. After he got out of prison, Wilde left England for France
and used the assumed name Sebastian, after the Christian martyr. He died poor in 1900.
