Oscar Wilde and the Failure to be Earnest

Unlike many authors who are honored for their writing well after they have died, Oscar Wilde enjoyed a life of praise and social acceptance as a witty and talented man whose many works and Aesthetic lifestyle set him apart. Though his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, was a hit despite its controversial nature, Wilde’s true successes came from his role as a playwright of social comedies. In his 1895 play, The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde’s two protagonists lead secret double lives that allow them freedom from responsibility and family and help them to pursue the relationships that they ultimately end up having by the end of the play. In Wilde’s comedy, the act of living a double life is described as being a “Bunburyist”, which refers to one of the leading character’s fake friend who is constantly sick and on the brink of death. Like his protagonists in the comedy, Wilde lived a secret double life and took part in his own form of Bunburyism.

            Though he was married to Constance Lloyd and went on to have two sons, Wilde lived out his homosexuality behind closed doors with several lovers, most notably, Lord Alfred Douglas. When Douglas’ father, who was the Marquess of Queensberry, found out about Wilde and his son’s secret affair, he became enraged and sued Wilde for criminal libel (Beckson). After he was found guilty, Wilde went on to serve two years of hard labor. When he was finally released from prison, the once famous and popular author was publicly shamed, bankrupt, and suffered from health problems as a result of his imprisonment. The contributions he had made to literature weren’t enough to return him to his status as a witty and beloved artist in society. Instead, Wilde died--with only a few close friends around him--from acute meningitis, disgraced and living away from home in France (Beckson).

 Image: 

Napoleon Sarony. Oscar Wilde. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Wilde.

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