Wilde, the web and the world

Oscar Wilde’s Gothic tale The Picture of Dorian Gray first appeared in Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine in 1890. It was revised and expanded into a novel, which British bookseller W H Smith rejected as ‘filthy’. The book explores the doctrine of Aestheticism: devotion to hedonism, beauty and art for art’s sake. Dorian dedicates his life to decadence and sensuous pleasure; while he remains youthful, his portrait gradually ages and decays, reflecting the depravity of his actions.

Oscar Wilde’s first hit play, Lady Windermere’s Fan, is a hectic upper-class comedy, in which the tangled complexities of the plot are rivalled only by Wilde’s sparkling and witty dialogue. Relating an enjoyably unlikely story of a wife who suspects her husband of having an affair, only for the ‘other woman’ to be unmasked as her own mother, the drama was a hit on the London West End stage, and made Wilde rich. But despite its diamond-sharp one-liners, there is more to Lady Windermere’s Fan than mere entertainment: it is above all a subtle social satire, particularly pointed about the hypocrisy of Victorian attitudes to women and sex.

The Importance of Being Earnest was described by its author, Irish playwright Oscar Wilde, as ‘by a butterfly for butterflies’. It is a story of courtships, betrothals and confused identities in which two young men – Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff – pursue two young women who are both determined to marry someone called Ernest. Set in fashionable London society, the play is characterised by its wit, artifice and highly polished surfaces. First performed on St Valentine’s Day in 1895, The Importance of Being Earnest was to be Wilde’s last play.

An Ideal Husband is the third of Oscar Wilde’s society comedies after Lady Windermere’s Fan and A Woman of No Importance. Underneath a surface of frivolity and witty exchanges, Wilde explores the serious question of the relationship between political power and personal morality. After laughing at others, Wilde taught Victorian theatregoers to turn their laughter towards themselves. The play premiered at the Haymarket Theatre in London on 3 January 1895 to popular acclaim, and ran for over one hundred performances. An Ideal Husband delighted and continues to delight audiences with its mixture of scandal and humour, melodrama and satire.

An introduction to The Importance of Being Earnest

The Importance of Being Earnest draws on elements of farce and melodrama in its depiction of a particular social world. Professor John Stokes considers how Oscar Wilde combined disparate influences into a brilliant satire which contained hidden, progressive sentiments.

Oscar Wilde: Curator’s pick

In this article, Alexandra Ault explores some of the original manuscripts created by Oscar Wilde, which bring us closer to his writing life.

Oscar Wilde and Victorian Fashion

Irish poet and novelist Oscar Wilde was one of the most popular playwrights of the London stage in the early 1890s, and was well known for his bon mots that poked fun at high society. Fashion historian Amber Butchart explores his relationship with fashion.

Life of Oscar Wilde

From Wilde’s early success to the notorious trial and life in exile, Andrew Dickson explores the life and works of Oscar Wilde and his legacy today.

Theatre in the 19th century

At the beginning of the 19th century, there were only two main theatres in London. Emeritus Professor Jacky Bratton traces the development of theatre throughout the century, exploring the proliferation of venues, forms and writers.

The Importance of Being Oscar Wilde: Rise and Fall of Wilde’s Literary Fortune in China

This article tells the story of Oscar Wilde in China since he was firstly introduce to Chinese audiences during the May 4th Movement. From the popular adaptations in the 1920s  to the contemporary adaptation of The importance of Being Earnest in Beijing, 2015, it charts the rise, fall and rise of Oscar Wilde and his literary legacy in China.