Oscar Wilde!!?

Question

I have to write a very important paper in English for school, and I've chosen "Oscar Wilde" as a general subject because the writer, his life and his works fascinate me- especially his flamboyancy and unique sense of humor. I don't know what to narrow my subject down to, though, and I'm under time pressure. Does anyone have any ideas??

Answer 1

I am his little brother. he cant answer you now

he is sleeping ...bye

Answer 2

Oscar Wilde was a very famous homosexual writer. He was actually charged with it in court as a crime. If the subject matter is not too improper for your school (I don't know if this is a high school or a college you go to), then go with this route.

I have pasted a link for a recent, famous play that was written and it is based on the trial of Oscar Wilde. You could maybe incorporate that into your paper. Don't treat the play as historical fact. It is still a work of fiction, but it is based on his life.

Wikipedia has some inforation about him as well. See below links.

Answer 3

I'm an instructor who has just taught students how to write a paper on a literary subject. My first suggestion would be: 1. Choose one specific work by Wilde. 2. Ask yourself why you were drawn to that particular work. 3. Research the historical situation that Wilde lived in during the time he wrote that work. By then, you should have enough information to at least come up with an argument or purpose for your essay.

Answer 4

Oscar Wilde was one of the most powerful wordsmiths the world has ever known. He was the idol of the rich set, very popular, was invited to all parties that meant anything. He had a very dry, caustic wit that made people laugh at themselves, and he was the first to laugh at himself. His books and plays are classics today, his plays are revived often and are just as pertinent today as they were when they were written. People do not change.
He was led to his downfall by his love for a noble's young son, was convicted, and never again was welcome in society. His life was really tragic in that he could not control his emotions (true for many of us, isn't it?) AS for a report, why don't you stick to his wit...it is found in his plays, almost every line leads to a laugh, and his wit was quite circular, the same subject would keep coming back in a different way. I assume you have read at least one of his plays. Use the lines to illustrate how he thought, and how little he thought of society in his lifetime. He had a great disregard for how people acted. Good luck

Answer 5

I would focus on his humor and his sarcasm. He was a very funny writer and had good comebacks for almost everything. A good book to try would be "The Wit and Wisdom of Oscar Wilde" by Ralph Keyes. Hope this helps, good luck.

Answer 6

That is so cool! I love Wilde!

I'd choose The Picture of Dorian Gray as a more focused subject. It was the only novel he wrote, and was used as evidence in his trial. It has a lot of interesting themes. I don't know how long your paper has to be, but if you researched it a bit, you could probably get several pages out of it.

Answer 7

Great idea! You could focus on one work- like "Importance of being Earnest" or his "Fairy Tales." His fairy tales are great- I highly recomend them as a focus because they'll let you bring some of his lifestyle and feelings into the picture. Like when the moral is "don't be mean to weirdos" you can talk about how he was unusual for his time. Another possiblity is to deal with how he's seen now- like how he's portrayed as a space alien in "Velvet Goldmine".

Great topic though- in Wilde's own words: "I put my genius into my life, I only put my talent into my work."

(I got that off a bookmark I have).

Answer 8

The second answer given is probably the best. You can aim at the difference between truth and fiction, introducing the difference between historical truth and literary truth. Truth in fiction is always an illusion, as much as reading a play and seeing the presence of the author, its bios self and not its literary self. This is a theoretical question from which you can begin with, drawing your own conclusions based on the reading of the play and of knowledge of the author's life. Try to ask yourself: does it make any difference to know anything of an author's life when reading his or her books?...

Answer 9

Someone already took the "Velvet Goldmine" idea, but a good theme would be to focus on how he was advanced for his time. He held many controversial opinons and used them in his writing. A focus on Wilde's progressive outlook would be appropriate.

Answer 10

Focus on how his personal life affected his professional reputation. Check out the poem "Oh who is that young sinner". It's by another poet, but it's about Wilde and how silly it was to persecute him for something he couldn't control (i.e., Wilde's sexuality).

Answer 11

I would in your case, take the skeletal attributes of the mans life and insert stories and quotes. Journalism of who, what, when, where and why.....
Although he did NOT live to be very old, he wrote so much and was so prolific you have a plethora of things in which to choose from....so start up your search engines and HIT IT! That is my take on it...oh and enjoy his comments, they are some of the best I have ever heard! Thanks!