The article explains Oscar Wilde's trials in 1895 and how the trials exposed how strict and judgmental the Victorian society was during this time frame. Wilde was a very famous writer and playwright but ended up getting arrested and charged with "gross indecency" because of his sexual relationships with men. Oscar Wilde's case got a lot of attention in the newspapers and ended up being one of the very first "big " celebrity trials, causing everybody to talk about it and form their own opinions over it. The article talks about how Victorians cared more about trying to appear proper and respectable in public, even though a lot of society had their own private life. In the end, Oscar Wilde ended up being found guilty and sent to prison, ruining his career and reputation. This article shows how harsh society could be towards anybody who went against the norm.
This article relates to The Importance of Being Earnest because both of them show how the Victorians were more focused on how they appeared to society, what their reputation was, and trying to make sure that they had proper behavior when in public. In the play, Oscar Wilde talks about the fact that a lot of people were living double lives, like Jack and Earnest.
“Oscar Wilde and the Trials That Broke Victorian Britain.” History Hit, https://www.historyhit.com/oscar-wilde-and-the-trials-that-broke-victorian-britain/
Wilde, Oscar. “The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People.” Project
Gutenberg, https://www.gutenberg.org/files/844/844-h/844-h.htm.
Oscar Wilde by Napoleon Sarony is licensed under Public Domain.
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