Oscar Wilde

10.b Matīss Bluķis

Early life
• Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde
(16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900)
was an Irish playwright, poet and author
of numerous short stories and one
novel. Known for his biting wit, he
became one of the most successful
playwrights of the late Victorian era in
London, and one of the greatest
"celebrities" of his day.
Aesthecism and phylosophy
• Wilde was deeply impressed by the
English writers John Ruskin and Walter
Pater, who argued for the central
importance of art in life. Wilde later
commented ironically when he wrote in
The Picture of Dorian Gray that "All art
is quite useless". The statement was
meant to be read literally, as it was in
keeping with the doctrine of art for art's
sake, coined by the philosopher Victor
Cousin, promoted by Théophile Gautier
and brought into prominence by James
McNeill Whistler. In 1879 Wilde
started to teach aesthetic values in
London.
Personal Life
• Wilde's sexual orientation has variously
been considered bisexual or gay. He
had significant sexual relationships with
(in chronological order) Frank Miles
(probable), Constance Lloyd (Wilde's
wife), Robbie Ross, and Lord Alfred
Douglas (known as "Bosie"). Wilde
also had numerous sexual encounters
with young working-class men, who
were often male prostitutes.And for that
reason he was arrested and putted in
jail.