Oscar Wilde - biography.

Oscar Wilde - biography. Irish-born novelist, playwright, poet, and critic Birth October 16, 1854 Death November 30, 1900 Place of Birth Dublin, Ireland Known for Witty, often paradoxical, sayings that lampoon the social mores and behavior of the English upper classes of his time Championing the aesthetic movement, which is based on the idea of art for art's sake Milestone 1878 Graduated from the University of Oxford with a degree in classics 1881 Published Poems, a collection of poetry January - October 1882 Lectured on English aestheticism in the United States and Canada 1882 Vera, or the Nihilists, his first play, is produced in New York but is not successful 1891 Published his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, which portrayed the moral decay of its title character February 1892 The play Lady Windermere's Fan, the first of four successful comedies, opened in London. June 1892 Rehearsals for the play Salomé were halted by the British censor because of a law forbidding the representation of Biblical characters on stage. February 1895 The Importance of Being Earnest, the last and most popular of his comedies, was produced in London. May 1895 Was convicted of homosexual acts following three sensationalized trials, and received a sentence of two years' hard labor 1897 Released from prison, Wilde left immediately for France where he lived the rest of his life, publishing only the poem The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898). Did You Wilde's flamboyant personality and eccentric dress were parodied in Gilbert and Sullivan's comic operetta, Patience (1881). Know Wilde's most popular plays satirized the English upper classes- the very audience for whom they were intended. Wilde's mother was a poetess and Irish nationalist known as Speranza. Wilde's full name was Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde, in deference to his Irish heritage. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.