Wilde, Oscar

Cultural  

1. An Irish-born author of the late nineteenth century, who spent most of his career in England. Wilde was famous for his flamboyant wit and style of dress. His best-known works include the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray and the play The Importance of Being Earnest. He urged art for art's sake.

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Wilde was convicted of homosexual activity and spent about two years in prison. The poem “The Ballad of Reading Gaol” (jail) is based on his experiences there.

Example Sentences

"Lady Wilde, Oscar Wilde's mother, certainly knew about it and Stoker was a regular visitor to the Wilde's house in Dublin," he said.

From BBC

Across the road, at number 87, is a plaque for the Irish nationalist poet Jane Wilde, Oscar’s mother.

From The Guardian

Olivia Wilde, Oscar Isaac, Antonio Banderas, Mandy Patinkin and Annette Bening are all featured here, acting out the stories of a multigenerational and international group whose lives are connected through a single event.

From New York Times

Wright, whose idiosyncratic bookshelf biography of Oscar Wilde, Oscar's Books, was much praised, has written a concise, skilful and often eloquent book, though it is marred by the absence of any source notes.

From The Guardian

Wilde, Oscar, 187, 230, 231, 388, 389, 402, 403, 404, 410.

From Project Gutenberg