Oscar Wilde is most notable for his works of Earnest and Picture of Dorian Gray, but many believed these works to be larger reflections of his personal homosexual tendencies. After reading The Importance of Being Earnest, I really took interest to the gay subtext of the story and how it related to Wilde's personal life. Wilde himself was not "out" because Victorian culture at the time condemned homosexual behavior, and later even criminalized it. As a part of the 1885 Criminal Law Amendment Act, committing acts of "gross indecency," or engaging in sexual activity with another person of the same sex, became illegal. The father of Wilde's lover (16 years younger than him, mind you) found letters between his son and Wilde and threated to let it be known. Wilde then brought a libel suit against him, claiming that he was trying to damage his reputation. Though this suit would later be dropped, it was ultimately the catalyst for the subsequent suit brought against Wilde that formally accused him of "gross indecency." Wilde's eventual conviction led to his imprisonment, exile, and later death. Though it makes sense that Victorian culture would prioritize formal, traditional relationships, I would also have expected such a progressive time to be progressive toward love and personal life as well (though I understand that it is something societies are still debating/struggling with.)
Bertram, Colin. “How Oscar Wilde’s Libel Trial Backfired and Ruined His Life.” Biography, 15 July 2020, www.biography.com/authors-writers/oscar-wilde-trials-downfall-gross-ind….
"Oscar Wilde and Alfred Douglas, 1893" by Gillman & Co is licensed under Public Domain