Oscar Wilde was the first author I read who fell under the gothic horror genre. The Picture of Dorian Gray was that book. I became a bit entranced by the man’s history because Oscar Wilde, as it turns out, was much more than a fine novelist, but an eccentric, fanciful genius who lobbied for free speech, art for arts’ sake, and, in many ways, his own sexuality. Through examining the court case that destroyed his life, we can see a writer who existed as a counter to the norms and mores of the time. 

Who was Oscar Wilde?

Wilde was born Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde in Dublin, Ireland, on Oct. 16, 1854. Wilde’s poet mother undoubtedly had an impact on his upbringing along with the prestigious exploits of his father who was a knighted medical advisor.

Wilde was an outstanding student, and was awarded various honors throughout his formative years, including the Royal School Scholarship to attend Dublin’s Trinity College, the Foundation Scholarship, and the Berkeley Gold Medal after graduation. If you have read Wilde before then you know his appetite for references and language. Possibly Herman Melville may be the only other writer who outdoes Wilde in allusions and diction; though, both men were well educated and took to their studies.

Even so, Wilde moved to London in 1878 and published his first book of poetry in 1881, the collection Poems. He soon established himself as a prominent writer and even went on a lengthy American tour, meeting a host of famous American writers, from Henry Longfellow to Walt Whitman (Biography).

Though knowledgeable from years of study and research, and, at least according to the transcripts of his case, charming, “his flamboyant dress, cutting wit and eccentric lifestyle often put him at odds with the social norms of Victorian England” (Wilde).

But, this did not impede his literary output.

Most notably, he wrote a great deal of literature, poems, and plays during his heyday. These include but are not limited to The Happy Prince and Other Tales in 1888, the plays Lady Windermere’s Fan in 1892, A woman of No Importance in 1893, and The Importance of Being Earnest in 1895, and the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray in 1891.

The Lord Alfred Affair

To understand the trial of Oscar Wilde, one must understand the historical context surrounding the case. “Sodomites” as homosexuals were notoriously referred to during Wilde’s day were deemed an affront to nature and religion by high society; the crime of sodomy, if found committed, meant imprisonment.

“Homosexual acts were a criminal offense in England at the time and remained illegal there until the 1960s,” states History.

Thus, Wilde’s alleged affair with the young Lord Alfred Douglas fell under scrutiny and set off a very public court case. Douglas’s father was especially disturbed by the relationship and therefore wanted to destroy Wilde.

“Accused, finally, by (Douglas’s father) of being a sodomite, Wilde, urged by Douglas, sued for criminal libel. Wilde’s case collapsed, however, when evidence went against him, and dropped the suit.” (Britannica). Afterward, Wilde was put on trial by the Crown for “gross indecency with other men.” Famously, Wilde’s own book (The Portrait of Dorian Gray) was used against him to convict him of this “immorality.”

“The defense also questioned Wilde about the premise of his controversial 1890 novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, suggesting that Wilde had used the novel’s homoerotic themes to seduce Lord Alfred” (History).

What is more is that Wilde’s trial (as stated in a previous post) revealed a secret knowledge about Victorian society; and, as written by a few academic papers, the revelation that Wilde was a homosexual was not new knowledge and it stands that rumors of his sexual interests were seemingly known throughout England. However, the accusations levied against him by rage-filled rivals “disrupted the secrecy of the Victorian elite by disturb (ing) the social order … he had the power to share ideas about freedom and morality … (and) … this made him dangerous” (Diaz).

Regardless, Wilde was convicted and sentenced to two years in prison. When he was released he was, “physically depleted, emotionally exhausted and flat broke.” He was exiled to France and died at the age of 46 in France on Nov. 30, 1900, of meningitis.

The Importance of Oscar Wilde

Books and Immorality 

“The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame.” — Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

For as long as pen has been put to paper, the powerful have sought to destroy the revealing word, from the earliest days of satire to modern cases of freedom of speech and libel. 1984 by George Orwell, and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury are two books that have come under fire in school districts over the years for their “controversial” subject matter. They are also two books about banning language and knowledge, which is ironic and it’s also especially relevant considering Oscar Wilde’s persona, private life, and trial.

The idea of “shame” in book banning is an interesting one. If we define “shame” as “a painful emotion caused by consciousness of guilt, shortcoming, or impropriety” then we can see how transference exists between what society indulges in and what it typically bans. Wilde’s own thoughts about art (art for art’s sake) stands in contrast to a conservative society interested in protecting its perceived moral grandiosity. 

The Evils of the Everyday 

Case in point: our society seems to understand greed as evil through pop culture and yet the driving force of every aspect of American life is capital. Meanwhile, religion and community mores play a role in our “shame.” The shame in question might also give us the inciting reason why society ban books in the first place.

Butler University states there are many reasons why books are banned, and these reasons include:

• Racial Issues
• Encouragement of “Damaging” Lifestyles
• Blasphemous Dialog
• Sexual Situations or Dialog
• Violence or Negativity
• Presence of Witchcraft
• Religious Affiliations
• Political Bias
• Age Inappropriate

The link here will take you to a page where there are explanations for each designation, but for the purposes of this post, we can certainly infer that each one relates to “shame” in a particular way. For example, racial issues in texts tend to rub less-diverse communities the wrong way (Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man), and sexual situations and sexual dialogue makes repressed societies fearful of sin (Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, for instance).

Our collective shame drives what we are fearful of it seems, and while that is not a particularly wholesome world outlook, it certainly helps make sense of otherwise irrational views on important and popular literary works.

A Word on Wilde’s “My Voice” 

“My Voice” by Oscar Wilde appeared sometime between 1854-1900. If we are to relate some poem to his life and troubles–perhaps this one would be most appropriate. Wilde writes this poem in ballad or ode form. It contains three stanzas that have four lines in each paragraph. Additionally, it is written in iambic pentameter with rhyme scheme that follows abab / cdcd / efef.

The poem details the end of a relationship, with the narrator’s ex-lover not reciprocating in the heartache that he feels. Wilde writes in the first stanza. The author states, “Within the restless, hurried, modern world / We took our hearts’ full pleasure–You and I, / And Now the white sails of our ships are furled / And spent the lading of our agony.” Wilde is telling us that the relationship began, but now it is over, and the “agony” has set in. In other ways, Wilde is discussing emotional separation, and the strain that it causes.

Similarly, this individual has had a profound impact on him through voice and evocation of memories. He writes in line 8 of the second stanza, “And Ruin draws the curtains of my bed,” which further builds on the theme of loss and desolation after love has gone. Meanwhile, in stanza three he states that though he feels this intense pain, the subject of his loss does not feel the same way. “Of viols, or the music of the sea,” he writes, “That sleeps, a mimic echo, in the shell.” There are some interpretations that pull optimism from the passage, but “echo, in the shell” seems to indicate his own voice coming back to him no matter how he calls for his love.

It’s an extremely relatable poem, and Wilde handles the theme well with heartbreaking tones. In fact, 

Conclusion

Wilde’s style and ability to craft an ambitious atmosphere of debate and apprehension enamors, but, by the same token, Wilde has such a strong writing voice that either through prose or verse–there is similarity. This makes all of his writing appealing to me, and this poem is a prime example of telling a story, alluding to love, while also encapsulating a heart-breaking theme of calling for a loved one and immortalizing them in our minds.

Works Cited

“Banned Books: Reasons Books Are Challenged.” Butler University Libraries, 17 Apr. 2021, https://libguides.butler.edu/bannedbooks?p=217686.

Definition of SHAME. 4 Dec. 2021, merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shame.

Plath, Dara. “Top 10 Banned Books That Changed the Face of Black History – National Coalition Against Censorship.” National Coalition Against Censorship, 12 Aug. 2020, ncac.org/news/blog/top-10-banned-books-that-changed-the-face-of-black-history.

“Oscar Wilde.” Biography. April 27. 2017. The Arena Group. Web. URL: https://www.biography.com/writer/oscar-wilde

“Oscar Wilde Trial.” History.com. May 7, 2018. The Arena Group. Web. URL: https://www.history.com/topics/gay-rights/oscar-wilde-trial

Beckson, Kari. “Oscar Wilde: Irish Author.” Nov. 26, 2021. Web. URL: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Dorian-Gray

Diaz, Rebollo Erika. “The Hypocrisy of Oscar Wilde’s Conviction: A Tale of British Victorian Society.” Texas Christian University. Web. URL: https://bollerreview.tcu.edu/article/download/136/100?inline=true