Oscar Wilde: The Critical Heritage

by Karl Beckson (Editor)

The documents in this volume trace the rise, sudden fall and meteoric renewal of Oscar Wilde’s literary reputation in England, America and on the Continent. The collection covers the years between 1881 and 1927 and includes extracts from reviews, articles, letters and journals. The study of Oscar Wilde’s reputation is, in part, a study of literary taste and prejudice at the end of the nineteenth century, for Wilde’s use of wit and mask often led his critics to misjudge his gifts. Because critical reactions were as much influenced by Wilde the man as by Wilde the writer, he was widely regarded as "insincere" in his poetry and prose. The early reviews and articles, dating from 1881, reveal the difficulties that Wilde faced from many of his critics, who regarded his aesthetics as merely "unhealthy" or "effeminate." A major change in his reputation, however, occurred with the production of his social comedies, the first being "Lady Windermere's Fan" (1892). Many leading drama critics regarded Wilde as a brilliant new talent and a major force in the theatre. With the success of his most important play, "The Importance of Being Earnest," in 1895, he had clearly reached the peak of his career. Within weeks of its opening, however, he was arrested and had to stand trial for sexual indecency. After his conviction and sentence to two years in prison, his name virtually disappeared from the literary world. In 1898, when "The Ballad of Reading Goal" was published, his name did not appear on the title page until the seventh edition, though it had enjoyed instant success. For the period following his death in 1900, there were few revivals of his plays, but with the publication of "De Profundis" (1905), Wilde’s reputation, particularly on the Continent, underwent an astonishing change.

434 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1970