2.
Philosophy and creative work of Oscar Wilde (“Picture of Dorian Grey”).
Oscar Wilde was regarded as the leader of the aesthetic movement, but many of his works do not follow
his decadent theory “art for art’s sake”, they sometimes even contradict it. In fact, the best of them are
closer to Romanticism and Realism.
Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin on October 16, 1854. His father was a famous Irish surgeon. His
mother was well known in Dublin as a writer. At school and later at the Oxford University Oscar displayed a
considerable gift for art and creative work. The young man received a number of classical prizes, and
graduated with first-class honours. After graduating from the University, Wilde turned his attention to
writing, travelling and lecturing. The Aesthetic Movement became popular, and Oscar Wilde earned the
reputation of being the leader of the movement.
Oscar Wilde gained popularity in the genre of comedy of manners. The aim of social comedy,
according to Wilde, is to mirror the manners, not to re-form the morals of its day. Art in general, Wilde
stated, is in no way connected with the reality of life; real life incarnates neither social nor moral values. It
is the artist’s fantasy that produces the refined and the beautiful. So it is pointless to demand that there be
any similarity between reality and its depiction in art. Thus, he was a supporter of the “art-for-art’s sake”
doctrine.
In his plays, the author mainly dealt with the life of educated people of refined tastes. Belonging to
the privileged layer of society, they spent their time in entertainments. In “The Importance of Being
Earnest”, the author shows what useless lives his characters are leading. Some of them are obviously
caricatures, but their outlook and mode of behavior truly characterize London’s upper crust. Wilde rebels
against their limitedness, strongly opposes hypocrisy, but, being a representative of an upper class himself,
was too closely connected with the society he made fun of; that is why his opposition bears no effective
resistance.
The most popular works of the author are “The Happy Prince and Other Tales” (1888), “The Picture
of Dorian Gray” (1891), and the come-dies “Lady Windermere’s Fan” (1892). “A Woman of No Importance”
(1893), “An Ideal Husband” (1895), “The Importance of Being Earnest” (1895). At the height of his
popularity and success a tragedy struck. He was accused of immorality and sentenced to two years’
imprisonment. When released from prison in 1897 he lived mainly on the Continent and later in Paris. In
1898, he published his powerful poem, “Ballad of Reading Gaol”. He died in Paris in 1900.
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