Feb. 26, 2026
Oscar Wilde Explained: Life, Wit, Major Works & Lasting Legacy
Step into the brilliant, tragic, and endlessly fascinating world of Oscar Wilde—one of the sharpest minds in literary history. This video follows the arc of Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde’s life, from his Dublin beginnings to the heights of London fame, and finally to the devastating trials that reshaped his final years.
You’ll explore:
• Early life & influences — born in Dublin on October 16, 1854, shaped by an intellectual household led by Sir William Wilde and Jane Wilde (“Speranza”), and marked by the loss of his sister Isola.
• Oxford & aestheticism — the “scholar and dandy” years, with the artistic philosophy influenced by Walter Pater and John Ruskin.
• Breakthrough & celebrity — winning the Newdigate Prize for “Ravenna” (1878) and becoming a social icon in London.
• Major works — the fairy tales (The Happy Prince and Other Tales), the gothic classic The Picture of Dorian Gray, and the stage masterpieces including The Importance of Being Earnest, An Ideal Husband, and more.
• The trials, imprisonment, and exile — the 1895 arrest tied to the public fallout of his relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas, prison at Reading Gaol, and exile under the alias Sebastian Melmoth.
• Wit, ideas, and cultural impact — Wilde’s epigrams, his artistic credo, and his enduring influence on theatre, literature, and LGBTQ+ history, including mention of posthumous pardons under “Turing’s Law.”
✨ Featured quotes and themes include reflections drawn from De Profundis, iconic lines associated with Wilde’s public persona, and the tension between aestheticism and morality that runs through his work.
👍 CTA (Call to Action)
If you enjoyed this deep dive into Oscar Wilde’s life and work:
✅ Like the video, ✅ Subscribe for more literature breakdowns, and 💬 comment your favorite Wilde quote or play.
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#OscarWilde #VictorianLiterature #ClassicLiterature #DorianGray #ImportanceOfBeingEarnest #LiteraryHistory #Aestheticism #IrishWriters #Theatre #BookTube
You’ll explore:
• Early life & influences — born in Dublin on October 16, 1854, shaped by an intellectual household led by Sir William Wilde and Jane Wilde (“Speranza”), and marked by the loss of his sister Isola.
• Oxford & aestheticism — the “scholar and dandy” years, with the artistic philosophy influenced by Walter Pater and John Ruskin.
• Breakthrough & celebrity — winning the Newdigate Prize for “Ravenna” (1878) and becoming a social icon in London.
• Major works — the fairy tales (The Happy Prince and Other Tales), the gothic classic The Picture of Dorian Gray, and the stage masterpieces including The Importance of Being Earnest, An Ideal Husband, and more.
• The trials, imprisonment, and exile — the 1895 arrest tied to the public fallout of his relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas, prison at Reading Gaol, and exile under the alias Sebastian Melmoth.
• Wit, ideas, and cultural impact — Wilde’s epigrams, his artistic credo, and his enduring influence on theatre, literature, and LGBTQ+ history, including mention of posthumous pardons under “Turing’s Law.”
✨ Featured quotes and themes include reflections drawn from De Profundis, iconic lines associated with Wilde’s public persona, and the tension between aestheticism and morality that runs through his work.
👍 CTA (Call to Action)
If you enjoyed this deep dive into Oscar Wilde’s life and work:
✅ Like the video, ✅ Subscribe for more literature breakdowns, and 💬 comment your favorite Wilde quote or play.
Oscar Wilde, Oscar Wilde biography, Oscar Wilde life, Oscar Wilde quotes, Victorian literature, Victorian era, Aestheticism, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian Gray analysis, The Importance of Being Earnest, An Ideal Husband, Lady Windermere's Fan, A Woman of No Importance, De Profundis, Reading Gaol, Salomé, Aubrey Beardsley, Richard Strauss Salome, comedy of manners, satire Victorian society, literary history, classic literature, Irish writers, Dublin writers, Oxford aesthetic movement, Oscar Wilde trial, LGBTQ history, queer history literature, famous playwrights, literary genius
#OscarWilde #VictorianLiterature #ClassicLiterature #DorianGray #ImportanceOfBeingEarnest #LiteraryHistory #Aestheticism #IrishWriters #Theatre #BookTube
