The Fall of the House of Wilde : Oscar Wilde and His Family

Roots -- Lust for knowledge -- Patron-cum-scholar -- Rising high -- The Bourgeois rebel -- Flirtations, father figures and femmes fatales -- Marriage -- Merrion Square -- The Wildean missionary zeal -- Wider horizons -- Open house -- 1864 : the end of bliss -- Honour and ignominy -- Love, hatred and revenge : the 'great libel case' -- Times are changing -- More highs, more blows -- Transience and poetry -- The unravelling -- Dabbling with options and ideas -- Openings and closings -- Literary Bohemia -- Divergent paths -- Looking at America -- 'Mr Oscar Wilde is "not such a fool as he looks"' -- Marriage : a gold band sliced in half -- 'The crushes' -- Aesthetic living -- Momentous changes -- Colonial resistance -- The picture of Dorian Gray : a 'tale with a moral' -- 'It is personalities, not principles that move the age' -- High life, low life and little literary life -- Salomé : the breaking of taboos -- 'Truly you are a starling' -- Fatal affairs -- An un-ideal husband -- Letting rip -- 'It is said that passion makes one think in a circle' -- Facing fate -- Impotent silence -- The 'disgraced' name -- Author of a legend -- 'We all come out of prison as sensitive as children' -- 'I have fiddled too often on the string of doom' -- 'I am really in the gutter' -- Epilogue. The first biography of Oscar Wilde that places him within the context of his family and social and historical milieu--a compelling volume that finally tells the whole story. It's widely known that Oscar Wilde was precociously intellectual, flamboyant, and hedonistic--but lesser so that he owed these characteristics to his parents. Oscar's mother, Lady Jane Wilde, rose to prominence as a political journalist, advocating a rebellion against colonialism in 1848. Proud, involved, and challenging, she opened a salon and was known as the most scintillating hostess of her day. She passed on her infectious delight in the art of living to Oscar, who drank it in greedily. His father, Sir William Wilde, was acutely conscious of injustices of the social order. He laid the foundations for the Celtic cultural renaissance in the belief that culture would establish a common ground between the privileged and the poor, Protestant and Catholic. But Sir William was also a philanderer, and when he stood accused of sexually assaulting a young female patient, the scandal and trial sent shockwaves through Dublin society. After his death, the Wildes decamped to London where Oscar burst irrepressibly upon the scene. The one role that didn't suit him was that of Victorian husband, as his wife, Constance, was to discover. For beneath his swelling head was a self-destructive itch: a lifelong devourer of attention, Oscar was unable to recognize when the party was over. Ultimately, his trial for indecency heralded the death of decadence--and his own. In a major repositioning of our first modern celebrity, The Fall of the House of Wilde identifies Oscar Wilde as a member of one of the most dazzling Irish American families of Victorian times, and places him in the broader social, political, and religious context. It is a fresh and perceptive account of one of the most prominent characters of the late nineteenth century. AOscar Wilde owed his most outstanding characteristics 6 his precocious intellectualism, his flamboyance, his hedonism, his recklessness, his pride, his sense of superiority, his liberal sexual values 6 to his parents. Oscar's mother, Lady Jane Wilde, rose to prominence as a political journalist, advocating in 1848 a rebellion against colonialism. Proud, involved and challenging, she became a salon hostess and opened the Wilde's Dublin home at No. 1 Merrion Square to the public. Known as the most scintillating and stirring hostess of her day, she passed on her infectious delight in the art of living to Oscar, who imbibed it greedily. His father was Sir William Wilde, one of the most eminent men of his generation. Acutely conscious of injustices in the social order, Sir William laid the foundations for the Celtic renaissance in the belief that culture would establish a common ground between the privileged and the poor, Protestant and Catholic. But Sir William was also a philanderer, and when he stood accused of sexually assaulting a young female patient, the scandal and trial sent shock waves through Dublin society. After his death the Wildes moved to London where Oscar burst irrepressibly upon the scene. The one role that didn't suit him was that of the Victorian husband, as his wife, Constance, was to discover. For beneath the swelling forehead was a self-destructive itch: a lifelong devourer of attention, Oscar was unable to recognise when the party was over. The Fall of the House of Wilde for the first time places Oscar Wilde as a member of one of the most dazzling Anglo-Irish families of Victorian times, and also in the broader social, political and religious context. A remarkable and perceptive account, this is a major repositioning of our first modern celebrity, a man whose own fall from grace in a trial as public as his father's marked the end of fin de sie?cle decadence Oscar Wilde Owed His Most Outstanding Characteristics - His Precocious Intellectualism, His Flamboyance, His Hedonism, His Recklessness, His Pride, His Sense Of Superiority, His Liberal Sexual Values - To His Parents.oscar's Mother, Lady Jane Wilde, Rose To Prominence As A Political Journalist, Advocating In 1848 A Rebellion Against Colonialism. Proud, Involved And Challenging, She Became A Salon Hostess And Opened The Wilde's Dublin Home At No. 1 Merrion Square To The Public. Known As The Most Scintillating And Stirring Hostess Of Her Day, She Passed On Her Infectious Delight In The Art Of Living To Oscar, Who Imbibed It Greedily.his Father Was Sir William Wilde, One Of The Most Eminent Men Of His Generation. Acutely Conscious Of Injustices In The Social Order, Sir William Laid The Foundations For The Celtic Renaissance In The Belief That Culture Would Establish A Common Ground Between The Privileged And The Poor, Protestant And Catholic. But Sir William Was Also A Philanderer, And When He Stood Accused Of Sexually Assaulting A Young Female Patient, The Scandal And Trial Sent Shock Waves Through Dublin Society.after His Death The Wildes Moved To London Where Oscar Burst Irrepressibly Upon The Scene. The One Role That Didn't Suit Him Was That Of The Victorian Husband, As His Wife, Constance, Was To Discover. For Beneath The Swelling Forehead Was A Self-destructive Itch: A Lifelong Devourer Of Attention, Oscar Was Unable To Recognise When The Party Was Over.the Fall Of The House Of Wilde For The First Time Places Oscar Wilde As A Member Of One Of The Most Dazzling Anglo-irish Families Of Victorian Times, And Also In The Broader Social, Political And Religious Context. A Remarkable And Perceptive Account, This Is A Major Repositioning Of Our First Modern Celebrity, A Man Whose Own Fall From Grace In A Trial As Public As His Father's Marked The End Of Fin De Siècle Decadence. 'Emer O'Sullivan has made an indispensable contribution to Wildean literature ... Compelling, informative and fascinating'- Stephen Fry The Fall of the House of Wilde identifies Oscar Wilde as a member of one of the most dazzling Anglo-Irish families of Victorian times and shows us how he was utterly his parents'child.________________Oscar Wilde's father – scientist, surgeon, archaeologist, writer – was one of the most eminent men of his generation. His mother – poet, journalist, translator – hosted an influential salon in Dublin's Merrion Square. Together they were one of Victorian Ireland's most dazzling and enlightened couples. When, in 1864, Sir William Wilde was accused of sexually assaulting a female patient, it sent shock waves through Dublin society. After his death ten years later, Jane attempted to re-establish the family in London, where Oscar burst irrepressibly upon the scene, only subsequently to fall in a trial as public as his father's. A brilliantly perceptive family biography, The Fall of the House of Wilde is a major repositioning of our first modern celebrity, placing Wilde in the context of his own remarkable family and more broadly within Anglo-Irish society.