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Here’s why you Should go on Oscar Wilde’s House Tour

Here’s how Oscar Wilde shaped Irish Literature and why you should go on his house tour!

If someone was to mention Oscar Wilde, the name would probably ring a bell, but why? Yes, he is one of the most famous victorian writers of his time, but what made his work so significant and why is he still well-known today as one of Ireland’s greats? If you’re a definite Wilde fan, there is no question about it, but if you’re a total newbie to his literature, let us enlighten you. Either way, … So if you’re and hopefully we can persuade you to visit his must-see Oscar Wilde House where he grew up.

Who Exactly Was Oscar Wilde?

Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish poet and playwright best remembered for his epigrams, plays, and novel ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’. Wilde’s rich and dramatic portrayals of the human condition gave him huge popularity and he eventually became one of the most famous playwrights of the late Victorian era.

The Wilde Woman and the Sunflower Apostle: Oscar Wilde in the United States

Following in the footsteps of his parents, Wilde became an exceptional academic and admirer of the arts, studying at Trinity College Dublin, then Oxford University, before moving to London and becoming a prominent figure in its cultural and social circles.

Wilde quickly became associated with the emerging philosophy of Aestheticism which creatives believed in the notion of making “Art for Art’s sake” and soon became a spokesperson.

At the height of his career, while ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ (1895) in London, he was criminally convicted for gross indecency for consensual homosexual acts in Paris. This was seen as ‘one of the first celebrity trials’ so raised a lot of public attention. Unfortunately, he was imprisoned and had an early death from meningitis at the age of 46.

How did he influence Irish and English Literature?

The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), Wilde’s sole novel, is a Gothic story of deception, narcissism, and ruin. More than just an interesting concept, it reflected on Wilde’s own reality as well as helped pave the way to artistic tolerance in years to come.

dorian-gray-ben-barnes-face-a-son-portrait - Sierra Bible Church

While a concealed painting of him shows the devastation that years of evil have done to his soul, Dorian himself retains his young attractiveness. He stabs the painting and is subsequently discovered as an ugly human wreck with a knife in his heart at the end of the story, while the portrait has restored to its former lovely shape. There are significant homoerotic and Decadent themes in the story.

As the twentieth century approached, a new nationalist cultural resurgence erupted in Ireland. It would be known as the Irish literary renaissance, and it would have a significant impact on contemporary Irish history.

One of the most remarkable aspects about Wilde is that, in addition to being admired for his charm and wit, he has been appropriated as a political symbol after his death. As the most renowned victim of homosexuality’s prohibition, Wilde’s plays took on a political tone in the mid-twentieth century.

Wilde became a martyr of sorts, not merely a great wit or even an artistic symbol.

His Upbringing – Oscar Wilde House

Dublin-born Wilde was the son of two successful Irish intellectuals. His father, William Wilde was a celebrated ear and eye surgeon, and his mother, Lady Jane Wilde was also a highly-esteemed poet, writer, and translator who went under the alias of ‘Speranza.’ With such spectacular genes and such a cultured upbringing, it’s no wonder that Oscar went on to become a celebrity himself!

The Oscar Wilde House – Dublin, Ireland - Atlas Obscura

Discover how he became the Oscar Wilde we know and love today from his origin story! Learn more not only about Oscar but this well-accomplished family as a whole. See how the Wilder half lived!

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