The Importance of Being Earnest (eBook)

Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin on 16 October 1854 to Sir William Wilde and his wife Jane. Oscar's mother, Lady Jane Francesca Wilde, was a successful poet and journalist. Oscar's father, Sir William Wilde, was a leading ear and eye surgeon, a renowned philanthropist and gifted writer, who wrote books on archaeology and folklore. Oscar had an elder brother, Willie, and a younger sister, Isola Francesca, who died at the early age of 10. He was educated at Portora Royal School, Trinity College, Dublin, and Magdalen College, Oxford. While at Oxford, he became involved in the aesthetic movement and became an advocate for 'Art for Art's Sake'. Whilst at Magdalen, he won the 1878 Newdigate Prize for his poem Ravenna. After he graduated, he moved to Chelsea in London (1879) to establish a literary career. In 1881, he published his first collection of poetry—Poems that received mixed reviews by critics. He worked as an art reviewer (1881), lectured in the United States and Canada (1882), and lived in Paris (1883). He also lectured in Britain and Ireland (1883 - 1884). On May 29, 1884, Oscar married Constance Lloyd (died 1898), daughter of wealthy Queen's Counsel Horace Lloyd. They had two sons, Cyril (1885) and Vyvyan (1886). To support his family, Oscar accepted a job as the editor of Woman's World magazine, where he worked from 1887-1889. In 1888, he published 'The Happy Prince and Other Tales', fairy-stories written for his two sons. His first and only novel, 'The Picture of Dorian Gray', was published in 1891 and received quite a negative response. This had much to do with the novel's homoerotic overtones, which caused something of a sensation amongst Victorian critics. In 1891, Wilde began an affair with Lord Alfred Douglas, nicknamed 'Bosie', who became both the love of his life and his downfall. Wilde's marriage ended in 1893. Wilde's greatest talent was for writing plays. His first successful play, Lady Windermere's Fan, opened in February 1892. He produced a string of extremely popular comedies including 'A Woman of No Importance' (1893), 'An Ideal Husband' (1895), and 'The Importance of Being Earnest' (1895). These plays were all highly acclaimed and firmly established Oscar as a playwright. He spent the rest of his life wandering Europe, staying with friends and living in cheap hotels. He died of cerebral meningitis on November 30, 1900, penniless, in a cheap Paris hotel. This collection features the following works: Novel : The Picture of Dorian Gray Short Stories : 1. The Birthday of the Infanta 2. The Canterville Ghost 3. The Devoted Friend 4. The Fisherman and His Soul 5. The Happy Prince 6. Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime 7. The Model Millionaire 8. The Nightingale and the Rose 9. The Portrait of Mr. W. H. 10. The Remarkable Rocket 11. The Selfish Giant 12. The Sphinx without a Secret 13. The Star-Child 14. The Young King Poetry : 1. The Ballad of Reading Gaol 2. Collection of Poems 3. Miscellaneous Poems 4. Poems in Prose 5. Ravenna 6. The Sphinx Essays : 1. Art and the Handicraftsman 2. Children in Prison and Other Cruelties of Prison Life 3. The Critic as Artist 4. De Profundis 5. The Decay of Lying 6. The English Renaissance of Art 7. House Decoration 8. Impressions of America 9. Lecture to Art Students 10. London Models 11. Miscellaneous Aphorisms 12. Pen, Pencil and Poison 13. The Rise of Historical Criticism 14. Selected Prose 15. Shorter Prose Pieces 16. The Soul of Man 17. The Truth of Masks Plays : 1. A Florentine Tragedy — A Fragment 2. A Woman of No Importance 3. An Ideal Husband 4. The Duchess of Padua 5. For Love of the King 6. The Importance of Being Earnest 7. La Sainte Courtisane or, the Woman Covered with Jewels 8. Lady Windermere’s Fan 9. Salomé 10. Vera, or the Nihilists Non-Fiction : A Critic in Pall Mall