Oscar Wilde: Life, Trial & Legacy
This flashcard set covers key facts about Oscar Wilde’s personal life, literary career, and infamous trial. From his relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas and the publication of Two Loves, to the events of his court case and imprisonment, this is a useful revision tool for students studying Wilde's biography, The Importance of Being Earnest, or Victorian literature and society.
When was it premiered?
Valentine’s Day 1895
Key Terms
When was it premiered?
Valentine’s Day 1895
Who was Wilde’s wife?
Constance Lloyd
Who did Wilde have an affair with?
Lord Alfred Douglas
Poem written by LAD which was entered as evidence in Wilde’s trial
Two loves
Final line of that poem
I am the love that dare not speak its name.
This poem was published in which magazine?
The Chameleon
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
When was it premiered? | Valentine’s Day 1895 |
Who was Wilde’s wife? | Constance Lloyd |
Who did Wilde have an affair with? | Lord Alfred Douglas |
Poem written by LAD which was entered as evidence in Wilde’s trial | Two loves |
Final line of that poem | I am the love that dare not speak its name. |
This poem was published in which magazine? | The Chameleon |
Who took Wilde to court? | Marquess of Queensbury - LAD’s dad |
Name of the poem that Wilde wrote about his experiences in jail. | Ballad of Reading gaol |
Name that he published this poem under | Prisoner 4099 |
How many children did Wilde have? | 2 |
| Changed their name and moved to Holland |
Where did Wilde die? | Paris |
What was a possible cause of death? | Meningitis which may have been contracted by Syphilis |
What three words of accusation on a calling card precipitated Wilde’s trail | A posing somdomite (sodomite) |
Who was Queen of England during Wilde’s lifetime? | Queen Victoria |
What years was Queen Victoria on the throne? | 1837-1901 |
The mid-nineteenth century Crisis of Faith was caused in part by the publication of which book? | The Origin of Species 1859 |
Power of the elite in Victorian times | Autocracy |
Lady Bracknell is fearful of which revolution which saw the monarchy overthrown by workers? | The French Revolution. 1789 or 1848 |
When did Victoria begin to wear black for the rest of her life? | 1861 after the death of her husband, Albert |
Walter Pater articulated many of the ideas associated with what artistic movement? | Aestheticism |
What did the Free Woman movement (which we could align Gwendolen’s marital views with) do? | Pushed the limits set by male-dominated society, seeking equal social, marital and voting rights. |
Who directed the recent film adaption of TIOBE? | Parker 1998 |
What is TIOBE’s subtitle? | A trivial COMEDY for serious people. |
Other self | Alter ego |
Jack goes by what name in the town? | Ernest |
What is the name of Algernon's fictitious, invalid friend? | Bunbury |
Lady's Bracknell's opening line | dear Algernon, I hope you are behaving very well |
Algy' response to AA's first line | I'm feeling very well, Aunt Augusta |
As the curtain drops how many couples are left on stage | 3 |
What traditional stock role from comedies does Lady Bracknell play? | The block |
Significance of the name Augusta | Derived from emperor Augustus, autocratic, aggressive leader |
The final 6 words of the play | The vital importance of being Earnest. |
At the end of the play, Lady Bracknell accuses Jack of what? | displaying signs of triviality |
Miss Prism's most important line | As a man sows, so shall he reap |
We live in an age of | Ideals - Gwendolen |
Algy - I have dared to love you | wildly, passionately, hopelessly, devotedly |