As an ambitious young man, Oscar Wilde started his career in literature with poems, plays and books. By reading his work and learning his background one might see a connection between the two. Like many authors, inspiration for a story could be a byproduct of traumatic or exciting events in his/her life. People all around the world use writing to express themselves and to tell their stories. Wilde's writing was scandalous for it's time. He portrayed flagrant lifestyles, love stories, secrets and sin. A man who only lived 46 years was born before his time. Today the world of literature is a free place where a man can write what he pleases. .
Born to successful Irish parents, Wilde started his life with a privileged upbringing. His father, a successful ear and eye surgeon, wrote and published many books in the medical field (Shuman). His mother, Mrs. Wilde, was a spokeswoman for Irish nationalism and women's rights (Shuman). Wilde, an educated man, was interested in art criticism and literature (Boilard). He attended Trinity College, Magdalen and Oxford (Boilard). Wilde stayed in England for the majority of his life after his studies. He was influenced by many men throughout his educational journey. He found interest in the art movement of aestheticism. Aestheticism was a "late 19th-century European arts movement which centered on the doctrine that art exists for the sake of its beauty alone, and that it need not serve political, moral, or other purposes" (Aestheticism Art Movement). Although Wilde married and had two children he found himself caught up in a scandalous love affair with a man named Lord Alfred Douglas (Shuman). This taboo lifestyle came at a cost and Wilde was imprisoned for violating England's sodomy laws (Boilard). After two years of imprisonment he left England and behind him, his legacy.
The Importance of Being Earnest was written by Wilde in 1895 (Shuman). One's quality of life was based on their social class.
