Oscar Wilde is one of my favorite authors and also the man who has come up with more of my favorite quotes than anyone else in the world (“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken” is my fave). His books are always a good time, and his most famous one – The Picture of Dorian Gray – is part horror, part suspense, and part hints of the life that many people alive during the late 1800s would like to live. Morality laws were violently strict – Wilde spent two years serving hard labor time in prison for a love affair with Lord Alfred Douglass, which broke his spirit as well as his health. His later works, especially his final poem The Ballad of Reading Gaol are a dark contrast to the sunny, upbeat, and arguably (for Wilde, at least) utopian ideas he had.
Unfortunately, the bitter reality of the world in which he lived snuffed out one of the greatest literary minds of all time. Victorian and Edwardian England was a double edged sword. It was a time of increased economic prosperity and also a time of tightening social mores.
For some background, please check out these videos on Wilde, finishing with a summary of The Picture of Dorian Gray:
Finally, please read “A Utopian Decay” by Ansı Sev Ateş. The password is a lower cased version of where you go to school.
Write two questions and post them in the comments section by Monday, April 27th and respond to two questions by Wednesday, April 29th.
Dr. Astorian's AP Consortium 
Gabriela Nicole (@gabrielanicolex)
April 21, 2020
How did Oscar Wilde’s life change as a result of his acquaintance with Lord Alfred Douglas?
His life changed in respect to both his relationship with his family, and also his ultimate fall from fame. His relationship with his family suffered as he did not see them as often as before their friendship. This ultimately led to Lord Alfred Douglas’ father, the Marquess of Queensberry, to aim his efforts against Oscar after his son dropped out of Oxford. His father demanded that they separate, and when his son declined the fall of Oscar Wilde ensued. The father aided in bringing Oscar Wilde to trial, and after the trail of questions his indirect nature upon the topic brought, he ended up going to prison for the crime of “gross indecency”. His popularity plummeted as a result, and his imprisonment made his relationship with his family crumble as he rejected all forms of his past life, thus refusing to reestablish their familial connection. That rejection did not apply to Lord Alfred Douglas. But Douglas did not hold the same feelings as before Oscar’s arrest and left him. Thus, being a portion of the abrupt end to Oscar’s career and family relationships.
How could have Oscar Wilde’s publication of “The Picture of Dorian Gray” reflected his personal feelings about homosexuality leading to his death?
His feelings seem to reflect either a call to change society in ways that were shunned at the time, or a silent expression of his personal feelings on the subject. Leading to his death he denied sharing the same mindset that he held in the book, simply calling it a display of his creative liberty. But he could have done so in an attempt to save himself from being seen as an outcast, as he would lose the popularity he gained through all his efforts in writing. He ultimately was outcasted regardless of his denial on the subject, and in the end he might have denied those claims in truth, or he might have been one in many throughout history who have faced hardship in the face of societal challenges.
(posted by Gabriela Landaverde)
enyazhu
April 27, 2020
How did the way Oscar write about topics such as love and class influence future writers and literature of the century?
Was Oscar’s ego his final undoing? (Ex. His attitude and belief that his wit made him untouchable).
Laura Astorian
April 27, 2020
Ohh, good question. I don’t think he ever thought he’d actually get caught, but him throwing that libel suit out there was basically fresh bait and it was taken.
Gabriela Nicole (@gabrielanicolex)
April 28, 2020
I feel like even though the times were limited on writing freely, his work likely caused for writers then and even now to test boundaries and express their concerns and beliefs over society.