Oscar_Wilde_Cool_School_Presentation

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A SHORT BIOGRAPHY + THE STORIES BEHIND THE LEGEND
OSCAR WILDE
Wit, Style & a Life Full of Drama
1854 — 1900
“ We are all in the gutter, but some of us are
looking at the stars.
— LADY W IND ERME RE’S FAN
One writer.
A century of quotable lines.
And a life that changed tone more than
once.
S C H O O L P R E S E N TAT I O N
OSCAR WILDE • 1854—1900
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00 / THE HOOK
Before the books: why was Wilde already famous?
In the 1880s, Oscar Wilde was a celebrity before “celebrity” was a normal word.
01
02
03
THE LOOK
THE VOICE
THE WIT
Long hair, velvet clothes,
flowers, and a taste for beauty.
Wilde made his appearance
part of his public image.
He became a famous lecturer
and toured the USA and Canada
in 1882.
His short, clever lines made him
a sought-after guest at dinners
and social events.
THINK:
Would people talk about a writer’s outfit today? Wilde already knew how to use image + words.
Sources: Oscar Wilde Society; Poetry Foundation biography.
OSCAR WILDE • 1854—1900
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01 / THE TIMELINE
A life in 7 moves
Notice how quickly his life moves from student → celebrity → playwright → prisoner → legend.
1854
1878
1879
1882
1891
1895
1900
DU BL IN
OXF O R D
LO N DON
USA + C A NA DA
DOR I AN GR AY
TR IA L + P R IS ON
PA R IS
Born in Dublin.
Wins the Newdigate
Prize for “Ravenna”.
Settles in London.
Lecture tour makes
him a public star.
The novel appears as a
book.
Convicted and
sentenced to two
years’ hard labour.
Dies in Paris, aged 46.
FAST FACT
He was only 40 when he went to
prison — and only 46 when he died.
Sources: Oscar Wilde Society; Poetry Foundation.
OSCAR WILDE • 1854—1900
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02 / STYLE
He did not just write about beauty — he lived it
AESTHETICISM
A simple idea: art can be beautiful for its
own sake.
1882
Wilde lectures in the USA and Canada.
1884
He marries Constance Lloyd. They later have two sons.
1887–1889 He edits The Woman’s World magazine.
THE WILDE FORMULA
Beauty
+
Style
+
A sharp sentence
=
A memorable
person
He understood that people remember a
voice, not just a résumé.
Sources: Oscar Wilde Society biography; Poetry Foundation.
OSCAR WILDE • 1854—1900
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03 / THE BOOKS
Three works — three completely different moods
1891
1895
1896
THE PICTURE OF
DORIAN GRAY
THE IMPORTANCE
OF BEING EARNEST
THE HAPPY PRINCE
GOT HIC • DA RK
COMEDY • CHAOS
TA L E S • H E A R T
A beautiful young man stays young
while a hidden portrait changes
instead.
Two men invent fake identities — and
social rules start to fall apart.
Wilde’s fairy stories look simple, but
they talk about kindness, sacrifice and
class.
Tip for the class: ask which title sounds most interesting before you reveal the next slide.
Sources: Poetry Foundation; Oscar Wilde Society.
OSCAR WILDE • 1854—1900
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0 4 / D O R I A N G R AY
Dorian Gray: the most dangerous mirror
BEAUTY
A portrait carries the cost of Dorian’s
choices.
1890
1891
BIG IDEA
THE TRICK
First published in Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine.
Published as a book — Wilde’s only novel.
What happens when appearance matters more than character?
The portrait is like a second self — one nobody else can see.
Sources: Poetry Foundation; Wikimedia Commons / Houghton Library image metadata.
OSCAR WILDE • 1854—1900
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0 5 / T H E P L AY
Earnest: comedy with a secret identity problem
14 FEBRUARY 1895
The Importance of Being Earnest opened at St
James’s Theatre in London — on Valentine’s Day.
01
DOUBLE LIFE
Jack uses the name “Ernest” in town.
02
SOCIAL RULES
Marriage, money and status drive the jokes.
03
WIT
The dialogue is quick, polished and full of surprises.
WHAT
MAKES
IT
FUNNY
?
FAKE NAM ES
FAKE PL ANS
RE AL
TRO UB L E
Sources: British Library; London Museum; Oscar Wilde Society.
OSCAR WILDE • 1854—1900
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06 / THE FALL
Then 1895 changed everything
From applause → court → prison.
FEB 1895
APR 1895
MAY 1895
The triumph
The trial begins
Prison
Earnest is a hit. Wilde is at the
height of his London success.
Wilde sues the Marquess of
Queensberry for libel. The case
turns against him.
Wilde is convicted and sentenced
to two years’ hard labour.
I m p o r t a n t c o n t ex t
Wilde’s imprisonment was under Victorian laws that criminalized homosexual acts between men.
Sources: Poetry Foundation biography; Oscar Wilde Society.
OSCAR WILDE • 1854—1900
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0 7 / A F T E R M AT H
After prison, his writing became quieter — and deeper
DE PROFUNDIS
A long letter written in prison, looking
back on love, pain and change.
THE BALLAD OF READING GAOL
Written after release and published in 1898 under Wilde’s
prison number: C.3.3.
“C.3.3” That number replaced his name on the first publication.
READING GAOL
His last years were spent mostly in France. He
died in Paris in 1900.
Sources: Poetry Foundation biography; Oscar Wilde Society.
OSCAR WILDE • 1854—1900
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08 / WILDE FACTS
6 facts that sound made-up — but are true
1
3
5
He won a major poetry prize at Oxford in 1878.
He edited a women’s magazine: The Woman’s World.
The Ballad of Reading Gaol first appeared as “C.3.3”.
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4
6
He toured the USA and Canada as a lecturer in 1882.
The Importance of Being Earnest opened on Valentine’s
Day 1895.
Wilde died in Paris at only 46 years old.
Pick one fact and explain why it surprised you.
Sources: Oscar Wilde Society; Poetry Foundation; British Library; London Museum.
OSCAR WILDE • 1854—1900
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09 / CLASS QUIZ
MINI GAME — can you beat Oscar?
Choose A, B or C. Don’t shout the answer yet!
1
A London
3
B Dublin
C Paris
B 1891
C 1895
Which book is his only novel?
A Dorian Gray
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When did Earnest premiere?
A 1882
S CO R I N G
2
Where was Oscar Wilde born?
B The Happy PrinceC Earnest
What appeared as his name on the first publication
of The Ballad of Reading Gaol?
A O. Wilde
B C.3.3
C Oscar D.
4/4 = Wilde-level wit • 3/4 = impressive • 2/4 = close • 0–1/4 = time for a Wilde reread
Quiz answers: 1-B, 2-A, 3-C, 4-B.
OSCAR WILDE • 1854—1900
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10 / FINAL REVEAL
The answers — and the one thing to remember
1
2
B — Dublin
A — The Picture of
Dorian Gray
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C — 1895
4
B — C.3.3
“ The most unforgettable part of Wilde is not one book. It is the
contrast: glamour, comedy, scandal, prison — and words that still
feel alive.
TA K E AWAY
Thank you!
Questions?
OSCAR WILDE • 1854—1900
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11 / CHECK THE FACTS
Sources & image credits
Oscar Wilde Society
Poetry Foundation
British Library
London Museum
Wikimedia Commons
Biography / timeline: oscarwildesociety.com/biography/
Biography + major works: poetryfoundation.org/poets/oscar-wilde
The Importance of Being Earnest: britishlibrary.cn/en/works/importance-of-being-earnest/
1895 theatre programme and premiere context: londonmuseum.org.uk/collections/v/object-67347/
Public-domain portrait by Napoleon Sarony (1882) and Dorian Gray cover, used as visual reference in the design.
Image note: archival portrait and book-cover examples referenced from Wikimedia Commons are public-domain works as marked on their file pages.
OSCAR WILDE • 1854—1900
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