Concetti Chiave
- Oscar Wilde, nato a Dublino e istruito al Magdalen College di Oxford, fu influenzato da Ruskin e Pater e si affermò come intellettuale e esteta dal 1874.
- Dopo aver viaggiato in Italia e Grecia, pubblicò il suo primo volume di poesie nel 1881 e si dedicò intensamente alla produzione letteraria dopo il matrimonio con Constance Lloyd nel 1884.
- Nel suo romanzo "The Picture of Dorian Gray", Wilde esplora l'estetismo, con il ritratto che invecchia mentre Dorian Gray rimane giovane, offrendo una lezione morale trascurata a causa della vita scandalosa dell'autore.
- Wilde è ricordato soprattutto come drammaturgo, con quattro commedie di costume, tra cui "The Importance of Being Earnest", che offrono un ritratto elegante e ironico delle classi superiori del suo tempo.
- Dopo essere stato accusato di relazioni omosessuali e incarcerato, Wilde scrisse "The Ballad of Reading Gaol" e "De Profundis" durante la sua prigionia; morì in Francia nel 1900, respinto da molti amici.
Oscar wilde's early life
Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin and educated at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he felt the influence of Ruskin and Pater.
He distinguished himself as a scholar-wit and an aesthete immediately upon his arrival at Oxford in 1874. He travelled in Italy and Greece and published his first volume of poems in 1881.
In 1884 Wilde married Constance Lloyd, and a period of intensive literary production ensued, beginning with his fairy tales The Happy Prince and Other Tales for children, rich in ironical comment on the selfishness and hypocrisy.
Dorian gray and aestheticism
In his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, his aestheticism is to be found with all its aspects: the superiority of the artist over the rules of society and morality. The story of the portrait growing old and monstrous while the person it portrays – Dorian Gray – always remains young and handsome is a variant of Balzac’s Peau de Chagrin. In spite of its exasperated aestheticism teaches in essence a moral lesson which was overlooked owing to Wilde’s scandalous life.
Wilde's dramatic legacy
It is as a dramatist, however, that Wilde still holds his place in literature. His reputation rests on four “comedies of manners”: Lady Windermere’s Fan; A Woman of no importance; An ideal Husband; The importance of Being Earnest, his masterpiece.
All of them provide an elegant – and ironical – picture of the upper classes of Wilde’s Time.
Wilde was a man who needed a life ostentation; his vanity landed him into disaster. The father of Lord Alfred Douglas accused him of homosexual dealings. The writer was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment with hard labour. In his misery the poet wrote The Ballad of reading Gaol and De Profundis.
After his release form lived in France rejected by most of his friends, he died in France in 1900.
Domande da interrogazione
- What were the key influences on Oscar Wilde during his education at Oxford?
- How does "The Picture of Dorian Gray" reflect Wilde's views on aestheticism?
- What is the significance of Wilde's comedies of manners in his literary legacy?
At Magdalen College, Oxford, Oscar Wilde was influenced by Ruskin and Pater, which shaped his development as a scholar-wit and aesthete.
"The Picture of Dorian Gray" embodies Wilde's aestheticism, emphasizing the artist's superiority over societal and moral rules, while also imparting a moral lesson despite Wilde's controversial life overshadowing it.
Wilde's comedies of manners, including "The Importance of Being Earnest," provide an elegant and ironic depiction of the upper classes, securing his reputation as a prominent dramatist.
Accedi a tutti gli appunti
Tutor AI: studia meglio e in meno tempo
