The Real Life Inspiration Behind Oscar Wilde’s Work: A Play-by-Play Look At Wilde’s Inspirations

By BookCaps

Fiction often imitates real-life. That was certainly the case for Oscar Wilde.

This book is part biography, part critical study. It examines all of Wilde’s published and unpublished work to see what was happening in her life that she might have used as inspiration for her fiction.

HistoryCaps is an imprint of BookCaps Study Guides. With each book, a brief period of history is recapped. We publish a wide array of topics (from baseball and music to science and philosophy), so check our growing catalogue regularly to see our newest books.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookCaps
• Release date: Aug 19, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301074655

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HistoryCaps Presents:

The Real Life Inspiration Behind Oscar Wilde’s Work

A Play-by-Play Look At Wilde’s Inspirations

By Paul Brody

By BookCaps Study Guides

© 2011 by Golgotha Press, Inc.

Published at SmashWords

About HistoryCaps

HistoryCaps is an imprint of BookCaps™ Study Guides. With each book, a brief period of history is recapped. We publish a wide array of topics (from baseball and music to science and philosophy), so check our growing catalogue regularly (www.bookcaps.com) to see our newest books.

Introduction

Oscar Wilde was born on October 16, 1854 at 21 Westland Row in Dublin, Ireland. His full name was Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde, long names being one of the fashions of the Victorian era. The inspiration for the name Oscar has been a point of debate. Some claim it taken from a heroic figure in Celtic history, while others suggest he was named after a member of a Scandinavian royal family. Either way, his parents looked to history and tradition for the naming of each of their children. The history of Ireland, as distinct from that of Britain, was a point of particular pride in the Wilde family. Oscar was the second son born to Sir William and Jane Francesca Agnes Elgee, known formally as Lady Wilde. Oscar’s older brother, William Charles Kingsbury Wills (Willie), was born two years prior.

Both of Oscar’s parents had a strong appreciation for and good taste in literature. Lady Wilde was, in fact, a noted writer in her own right, creating nationalist verse and prose in defense of Irish independence and women’s rights. She also had a fascination with native Irish folk tales; she sometimes adopted the pen name Speranza (Hope), and this was how Oscar referred to his mother in letters. William Ralph Wills Wilde, Oscar’s father, was a respected but morally suspect eye and ear surgeon in Dublin. He was knighted in 1864, but his practice fell under a cloud when a female patient accused him of sexual assault while she was under sedation. After the scandal, he kept a much lower profile, despite being acquitted of all charges. Sir William was also known to keep mistresses, which became a kind of open secret within the family. In addition to these professional and recreational pursuits, Oscar’s father had a keen interest in natural history and ethnology. He passed on his curiosity and analytical mind to his younger son, while Lady Wilde gave him her love of art and beauty.

In 1858, the Wilde family welcomed a baby girl into the family. She became the family’s darling, and Oscar became especially attached to Isola Francesca. He was heartbroken when she died at age 9 from a childhood disease. Lady Wilde was equally distraught, frequently visiting her daughter’s grave. The experience gave Oscar an early glimpse of death and loss that haunted him forever after.

By and large, life in the Wilde family was fairly typical of the Irish middle class. Holidays away from the city were a common event. Sometimes Sir William accompanied his wife and children on weekend trips, though often they went alone, allowing the family patriarch to meet with his mistresses. During one visit to Glencree, Lady Wilde spontaneously took both Willie and Oscar to a nearby Catholic church to be baptized. Though very young, Oscar claimed to remember the event always as a pivotal moment in his childhood.

In 1864, Sir William constructed a spacious home in the countryside, which he name Moytura. The new home became a refuge during the increasingly frequent periods of public scandal. Also that year, young Oscar was sent away