An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide

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Unlock the more straightforward side of An Ideal Husband with this concise and insightful summary and analysis!

This engaging summary presents an analysis of An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde, which tells the story of Sir Robert Chiltern, a well-liked politician who is considered a bastion of morality by everyone he knows, especially his wife. However, an acquaintance of the Chilterns, Mrs Cheveley, uncovers a secret from Sir Robert’s past that could ruin both his reputation and his wife’s good opinion if were to become common knowledge. Sir Robert finds himself caught between a rock and a hard place as Mrs Cheveley attempts to blackmail him into supporting a fraudulent scheme that would leave his good name equally tarnished, and is forced to turn to his friend, the dandyish aesthete Lord Goring, to help him find a way out of this conundrum… Oscar Wilde was one of the most fascinating authors of the 19th century, known as much for his witticisms as for his writing. His most notable works include the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray and the comic plays An Ideal Husband and Lady Windermere’s Fan.

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• A complete plot summary
• Character studies
• Key themes and symbols
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• Language: English
• Publisher: BrightSummaries.com
• Release date: Mar 28, 2019
• ISBN: 9782808015554

Book preview

IRISH PLAYWRIGHT, POET AND WIT

Born in Dublin in 1854.

Died in Paris in 1900.

Notable works:

The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890), novel

The Importance of Being Earnest (1895), play

The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898), poem

Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin to Anglo-Irish parents. He moved to England in 1874 to study at Oxford University, where his tutors included Walter Pater (English essayist, 1839-1894) and John Ruskin (English art critic, 1819-1900). Through them, Wilde became interested in the philosophy of aestheticism, or ‘art for art’s sake’. After university he moved to London, where he became a leading figure in high society known for his decadence, fashion and wit. He wrote numerous plays and poems during this period and toured the USA giving lectures on aestheticism. In 1884, he married Constance Lloyd (1859-1898), though he had many relationships with men during their marriage, including Robert Ross (Canadian journalist, 1869-1918) and Wilde’s great love Lord Alfred ‘Bosie’ Douglas (British writer, 1870-1945). In 1895, he was arrested on charges of ‘gross indecency’ (homosexuality) and sentenced to two years in Reading Gaol. He was released in 1897. With his reputation in tatters he moved to Paris, where he lived in poverty until his death in 1900.

CORRUPTION, BLACKMAIL AND POWER POLITICS AT AN ENGLISH DINNER PARTY

Genre: play

Reference edition: Wilde, O. (2000) The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays. London: Penguin Classics.

1stedition: 1899 (first performance 1895)

Themes: Victorian society, public