Oscar Wilde
Born 1854 in Dublin; educated at Oxford
Essay writer, lecturer and playwright. Other
famous works include An Ideal Husband, Lady
Windermere’s Fan and The Picture of Dorian
Gray.
Though married with children, he was homosexual,
which led to imprisonment for ‘public indecency’
in 1895 (shortly after The Importance of Being
Earnest began its run) and the end of his career.
Upon his release, divorced and bankrupt, he moved
to Paris and died in squalor in 1900.
Aestheticism: Art for Art’s Sake
•Oscar Wilde was part of the “aesthetic movement”: a group of writers and
artists who espoused the idea that the value of art was simply to be beautiful.
‘A work of art is useless as a flower is useless. A flower blossoms for its own
joy. We gain a moment of joy by looking at it.’
•This contrasted with the popular style of didactic literature (teaching moral
lessons) of the time.
•Wilde believed life should “imitate” art, rather than the other way around.
“The final revelation is that Lying, the telling of beautiful untrue things, is the
proper aim of Art.” - Oscar Wilde
Denounced the sober morality
and middle-class values that
characterized the Victorian Age
and embraced beauty as the
chief pursuit of both art and
life.
The Aesthetic Movement in Britain
(1860 – 1900) aimed to escape the
ugliness and materialism of the
Industrial Age, by focusing instead
on producing art that was
beautiful rather than having a
deeper meaning – 'Art for Art's
sake'.
Importance of Being Earnest: Context
Importance of Being Earnest: Context
Importance of Being Earnest: Context
Importance of Being Earnest: Context