Cheveley is an attractive expatriate, but also adventurer, and she’s travelled the whole way from her own home to Vienna so as to make Robert a certain intriguing offer. The charming Sir Robert Chiltern is here along with Mrs. The story of An Ideal Husband starts out with a formal, grandiose reception. An instance of his mastery can be seen in the following example: ‘To lose one parent may be regarded as a misfortune to lose both looks like carelessness.‘Īn Ideal Husband is one of Wilde’s final plays, having been published in 1895, a bit prior to the turmoil that would befall the lattermost years of Oscar’s controversy-riddled life.

The humor of Oscar depends largely upon how well he has set the tone and the scene up, and this facet is rarely ever not perfect. Ernest, alias Jack, is at the forefront of the subterfuge as he intends to get the hand of his friend Algernon’s sister. The story of the play deals heavily with the idea of mistaken, hidden and shrouded identity, as we have more than one character that doesn’t let up their true name. No Value?įor a long time, this play, along with most of Wilde’s work, was considered to be an immoral one, with critics saying that it had no value other than to ridicule and criticize the hypocrisy that the upper class exuded. Oscar enjoys playing with language, words and the multiple meaning of these same words for example, the name Ernest and the word earnest.Īs he often did, Oscar ironizes the way people of high-society would defend and promote a manner of behavior – a mode of morality –, and would, in the same vein, do away with that same attitude when in the comfort of their own home. Noteworthy is that when Oscar writes satire and when other, less able writers do it, there’s an important difference Oscar genuinely makes readers laugh because his writing is, more often than not, hilarious. The Importance of Being Earnest is a clear, concise example of the satirical writing of Oscar Wilde. It merely warns against the dangers of falling into the pits of vanity and self-absorption. But this quality they have isn’t an explicit one – it doesn’t forbid the reader from drinking, smoking, etc. While Oscar was never to be considered a moralist, as he would be the first to say so, his works still possess a moral quality to them. For instance, while great art and the influence of a political party will one day die out, the beauty one has is more actively the subject of time’s ravages. The major interest that the novel has is the theme of beauty, both outwards – aimed at an object, person, idea – and inwards – a narcissistic adoration, or as it comes to be, vanity. The plot of The Picture of Dorian Gray deals with this theme heavily. Books shouldn’t be referred to as moral or immoral they are either written well or not. Heavy Themeįor Wilde, the artist isn’t to be weighed on by any moral interests. We mentioned that Oscar was a promoter for the Aesthetic movement, and this novel – which is, incidentally, Oscar’s only novel – is a perfect example of that. Though it’s been released for north of 120 years, its literary merits and intrinsic qualities aren’t subject to the wear and tear of time. Without a doubt, The Picture of Dorian Gray, published in 1891, is not just the greatest literary effort by Oscar Wilde, but also one of the best books released, ever. Now, let’s take a look at what Oscar Wilde’s best books are. Luckily, and thankfully, for us, Oscar left a wonderful bibliography which we can admire. The penultimate years of Oscar’s life were spent in bankruptcy, prison and in sickness.

CareerĪ long poem that Oscar wrote, Ravenna, received a very much desired Newdigate Prize in 1878 during this period, he also came to be known as a Classical scholar. After his time at Trinity College, he also received a scholarship for the Magdalen College, Oxford, where he received a degree with honors. Wilde attended the Portora Royal School, after which he received a scholarship to Trinity College in Dublin.

Oscar wilde plays ranked