Explication Paper on three Oscar Wilde Novels

Introduction of the Author

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was an Irish author, dramatist and poet. He was born Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde in October 1854 in Dublin, Ireland to Jane Francesca Agnes née Elgee and surgeon Sir William Robert Wills Wilde. His mother was also a renowned poet and a nationalist. Oscar Wilde came under the influence of Walter Pater during his tenure at Magdalen College, Oxford, England. He was also involved in the Movement, "art for art's sake". Wilde was lauded by several influential figures of the time such as Walt Whitman, Bernard Shaw, Wadsworth Longfellow and John Ruskin. The Importance of Being Earnest, A House of Pomegranates (1891) and The Picture of Dorian Gray were some of his masterworks which caught the attention of the masses and established Wilde as one of the most prominent writers in America and Europe. In 1891 Wilde had a meeting with Lord Alfred Douglas. This event marked the beginning of a rather tumultuous relationship which would eventually lead to several problems for Oscar Wilde in his volatile personal life and writing career. Alfred enjoyed a volatile lifestyle and did not enjoy cordial relations with his father. His father was also not happy with the lifestyle of his son and engaged in a defamation attempt against Wilde as well. Oscar retaliated with legal action in order to protect himself from this onslaught but was charged with acts of indecency and engaging in homosexual acts. The outcome of the sensational trial was a sentence of two years hard labor which Wilde served most of at the Reading Gaol outside of London. Wilde served his time in prison and later wrote about the harsh conditions and brutalities during his time in prison. He also wrote about the injustice of the death penalty. He spent his later years in a penniless exile from where he wrote 2 long letters to The Chronicle with regard to change in the penal laws. He developed Cerebral Meningitis and eventually died in 1900. He was baptized by a Catholic church and was initially laid to rest in the Cimetière de Bagneux outside Paris. However, in 1909, his remains were disinterred to Père Lachaise Cemetery (Nassaar, 12).

A House of Pomegranates

A House of Pomegranates in a collection of fairy tales written by Oscar Wilde and was published as a sequel to The Happy Prince and Other Tales. The stories included in this edition were The Birthday of the Infanta , oung King, , The Fisherman and His Soul and the epic The Star Child . We can see how Wilde has used the themes like morals and ills of society to shape this series of tales. He strikes a perfect balance between misery and joy and presents 4 tales which complement each other in one way or the other. Each of these tales offer valuable lessons and warnings alike.

The Young King

The Young King is the tale of the illegitimate son of the Emperor and of an unknown ...