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HWK about TIOBE’s context and playwright

Due Thursday, Sept 3

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Instructions:

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1. Copy this whole slideshow and put in the folder just shared

with you for SL Lit. Title: HWK about TIOBE’s context and playwright

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2. After viewing the video below (slide 4) about the playwright’s

context(time & place) complete the following table about Oscar Wilde.

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3. Write small so that you can fit your ideas in the table.

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Personal Life

  • Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie WIlls Wilde was born on October 16th 1854 and died on November 30 1900
  • His parents were socially prominent Anglo-Irish Protestants.
  • His father had numerous affairs, while his mom had different beliefs in contrast to society.

‘I should like to rage through life- this orthodox creeping is too tame for me’ Jane Wilde (1.28)

  • He has a older brother named Willie.
  • Once he married Constance he continued to live a lavish life with her father’s money. They have two kids- Cyril and Vyvyan.
  • ‘Oscar Wilde died as he had lived, inappropriately, outrageously and with scant reference to whatt decorum demanded.’ Oscar Wilde Biography: His ‘Wild’ life.

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Interests and concerns

  • Wilde was smart and he entered Oxford with the highest marks.
  • In Oxford he cultivated his aesthetic sensibilities by filling his room with lilies and lived extravagantly by spending tons of his dad’s money.

“I find it harder everyday to live up to my blue China” Oscar Wilde (3.43)

  • He started suffering financially but he was sure of himself and had a smart mouth.

“We have genius- that is something attorney’s can’t take away” Oscar Wilde (4.45)

  • Even with his successes, due to his lavish spending he often found himself in tough financial situations. He was interested in Constance Lloyd the daughter of a prosperous London lawyer. He was in debt at that time and many people were questioning his sexuality.

His works

  • ‘Vera’ was privately printed in 1880. Was a story of noble socialism set in 19th century Russia but was turned down.
  • ‘Poems’ was published 1881. It included 61 pieces of writing. Was very popular and required multiple reprints.
  • ‘Patience’ a play by Gilbert and Sullican was indirectly making Wilde famous. The main character was inspired by Wilde through the aesthetic culture he epitomized. He went on tour in America.
  • ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ in 1880 brought scandals as it hinted towards a homosexual relationship triangle.
  • ‘A woman of no Importance’ 1893 also made a lot of money helping to contribute with his and Bosie’s luxurious lifestyle.
  • ‘The importance of being Earnest’ was opened on Feb 14th 1895 and had great success.
  • He wrote his last major work after prison in 18977 called ‘The Ballad of Reading Gaol’ underling the British prison and justice system.

Conflicts

  • He started spending less time with his family and became obsessed with this 22 year old Lord Alfred Douglas ‘Bosie’ who was the son of the Marquis of Queensbury, the man who developed rules for professional boxing. The of course enraged the Marquis of Queensbury, not only is it illegal but was distracting his son’s study in Oxford.
  • During his success during ‘The Importance of being Earnest’ Wilde received a letter from Queensbury ‘To Oscar Wilde, posing sodomite.’ leading Wilde to ask for a warrant but resulted no into his favour and later was arrested for committing acts of gross indecency.
  • He was sentenced to 2 years of hard labour. In prison he developed insomnia, illnesses and he was starving.
  • After prison both Constance and Bosie left him. Bosie didn’t love him anymore while Constance can’t believe he went back to his old way after renouncing his old engagements.

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This 20 minute video is FULL of good storytelling and great details about Wilde’s life.

After you watch it, create a slide with a detail or quote from the video that caught your attention.

Explain what question or thought it provoked in you. Include the time marker where we can find this bit again if we want to discuss its context.

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Quotes

“I should like to rage through life- this orthodox creeping is too tame for me.” Jane Wilde (1.28)

I find this quote by Wilde’s mother interesting because it toys the idea of her influence on him as well as questions how society was like as a whole during the time of Oscar WIlde. During the 19th century society compared to today was more conservative and presented different sets of values/beliefs and culture that often favoured those in power. Wilde’s family comes from a powerful rich family, but having a woman from that rank in society belittling the ideology questions who really benefiting from this. This also represents who his mother was as a person, how unconventional her ideas are ultimately influencing Oscar, who is known for his ‘wild’ life and going against the normal.

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“There is no such thing as a moral or immoral book. Books are well written or badly written that is all.” (9.22)

Within this quote underlines Wilde’s opinion of society and highlights how he sees the world. Morals are defined as the principles of the right and wrong behaviour. During the 19th century, him being homosexual was illegal, ‘the wrong behaviour’ but he says that there is no such thing. Wilde got into many scandals from ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ as it subtly included a homosexual relationship triangle. When it says books are well written or badly it makes me think of how well someone can present the truth and how well people can take the real information. The truth is that there are people who are homosexual but it was illegal at that time.