Wilde, Oscar

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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anchorite
a granular metamorphic rock.
a person who has retired to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.
a hobble or fetter for a horse or other animal.
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notes for Wilde, Oscar

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.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.