Best Selling Books by Oscar Wilde

Although Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) created a wide range of poetry, essays, and fairy tales (and one novel) in his brief, tragic life, he is perhaps best known as a dramatist. His witty, clever drama, populated by brilliant talkers skilled in the art of riposte and paradox, are still staples of the theatrical repertoire.An Ideal Husband revolves around a blackmail scheme that forces a married couple to reexamine their moral standards - providing, along the way, a wry commentary on the rarity of politicians who can claim to be ethically pure. A supporting cast of young lovers, society matrons, an overbearing father, and a formidable femme fatale continually exchange sparkling repartee, keeping the play moving at a lively pace.Like most of Wilde''s plays, this scintillating drawing-room comedy is wise, well-constructed, and deeply satisfying. An instant success at its 1895 debut, the play continues to delight audiences over one hundred years later. An Ideal Husband is a must-read for Wilde fans, students of English literature, and anyone delighted by wit, urbanity, and timeless sophistication. Includes a biography of the author.

Written in his distinctively dazzling manner, Oscar Wilde''s story of a fashionable young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty is the author''s most popular work. The tale of Dorian Gray''s moral disintegration caused a scandal when it first appeared in 1890, but though Wilde was attacked for the novel''s corrupting influence, he responded that there is, in fact, "a terrible moral in Dorian Gray." Just a few years later, the book and the aesthetic/moral dilemma it presented became issues in the trials occasioned by Wilde''s homosexual liaisons, which resulted in his imprisonment. Of Dorian Gray''s relationship to autobiography, Wilde noted in a letter, "Basil Hallward is what I think I am: Lord Henry what the world thinks me: Dorian what I would like to be-in other ages, perhaps.

An Ideal Husband is an 1895 comedic stage play by Oscar Wilde which revolves around blackmail and political corruption, and touches on the themes of public and private honour. The action is set in London, in "the present," and takes place over the course of twenty-four hours. "Sooner or later," Wilde notes, "we shall all have to pay for what we do." But he adds that, "No one should be entirely judged by their past." Together with The Importance of Being Earnest, it is often considered Wilde''s dramatic masterpiece. After Earnest, it is his most popularly produced play.In the summer of 1893, Oscar Wilde began writing An Ideal Husband, and he completed it later that winter. His work began at Goring-on-Thames, after which he named the character Lord Goring, and concluded at St. James Place. He initially sent the completed play to the Garrick Theatre, where the manager rejected it, but it was soon accepted by the Haymarket Theatre, where Lewis Waller had temporarily taken control. Waller was an excellent actor and cast himself as Sir Robert Chiltern. The play gave the Haymarket the success it desperately needed. After opening on 3 January 1895, it continued for 124 performances. In April of that year, Wilde was arrested for "gross indecency" and his name was publicly taken off the play. On 6 April, soon after Wilde''s arrest, the play moved to the Criterion Theatre where it ran from 13-27 April. The play was published in 1899, although Wilde was not listed as the author. This published version differs slightly from the performed play, for Wilde added many passages and cut others. Prominent additions included written stage directions and character descriptions. Wilde was a leader in the effort to make plays accessible to the reading public.

The Original Unabridged Edition. In this celebrated work, his only novel, Wilde forged a devastating portrait of the effects of evil and debauchery on a young aesthete in late-19th-century England. Combining elements of the Gothic horror novel and decadent French fiction, the book centers on a striking premise: As Dorian Gray sinks into a life of crime and gross sensuality, his body retains perfect youth and vigor while his recently painted portrait grows day by day into a hideous record of evil, which he must keep hidden from the world. For over a century, this mesmerizing tale of horror and suspense has enjoyed wide popularity. It ranks as one of Wilde''s most important creations and among the classic achievements of its kind.

The Picture of Dorian GrayWritten in his distinctively dazzling manner, Oscar Wilde''s story of a fashionable young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty is the author''s most popular work. The tale of Dorian Gray''s moral disintegration caused a scandal when it first appeared in 1890, but though Wilde was attacked for the novel''s corrupting influence, he responded that there is, in fact, "a terrible moral in Dorian Gray." Just a few years later, the book and the aesthetic/moral dilemma it presented became issues in the trials occasioned by Wilde''s homosexual liaisons, which resulted in his imprisonment. Of Dorian Gray''s relationship to autobiography, Wilde noted in a letter, "Basil Hallward is what I think I am: Lord Henry what the world thinks me: Dorian what I would like to be-in other ages, perhaps.

The Happy and Other Tales, a collection of fairy tales that consists of the titular piece, "The Selfish Giant," "The Devoted Friend," "The Young King," "The Nightingale and the Rose," "The Fisherman and His Soul," "The Star-Child," "The Remarkable Rocket, and "The Birthday of the Infanta," was written by Oscar Wilde and first published in 1888. Wilde was notorious for promoting "art for art''s sake," but chose to write these tales in the didactic form of the fairy tale. This form allowed Wilde to explore themes of importance to him, such as homosexuality, morality, aestheticism, English socioeconomic realities, and more.

The Importance of Being Earnest was popular upon its debut in 1895. It was not until the twentieth century that Wilde''s work was once again recognized both for its literary worth and comedic genius, and subsequently The Importance of Being Earnest has been adapted many times for film and theatre, most recently in the 2002 film starring Colin Firth, Rupert Everett, Reese Witherspoon, and Dame Judy Dench.

Wilde''s only novel, first published in 1890, is a brilliantly designed puzzle, intended to tease conventional minds with its exploration of the myriad interrelationships between art, life and consequence. From its provocative Preface, challenging the reader to belief in ''art for art''s sake'', to its sensational conclusion, the story self-consciously experiments with the notion of sin as an element of design. Yet Wilde himself underestimated the consequences of his experiment, and its capacity to outrage the Victorian establishment. Its words returned to haunt him in his court appearances in 1895, and he later recalled the ''note of doom'' which runs like ''a purple thread'' through its carefully crafted prose. - Illustrated

The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James''s Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious person� to escape burdensome social obligations. Working within the social conventions of late Victorian London, the play''s major themes are the triviality with which it treats institutions as serious as marriage, and the resulting satire of Victorian ways. Contemporary reviews all praised the play''s humour, though some were cautious about its explicit lack of social messages, while others foresaw the modern consensus that it was the culmination of Wilde''s artistic career so far. Its high farce and witty dialogue have helped make The Importance of Being Earnest Wilde''s most enduringly popular play. The successful opening night marked the climax of Wilde''s career but also heralded his downfall. The Marquess of Queensberry, whose son Lord Alfred Douglas was Wilde''s lover, planned to present the writer with a bouquet of rotten vegetables and disrupt the show. Wilde was tipped off and Queensberry was refused admission. Soon afterwards their feud came to a climax in court, where Wilde''s homosexual double life was revealed to the Victorian public and he was eventually sentenced to imprisonment. His notoriety caused the play, despite its early success, to be closed after 86 performances. After his release, he published the play from exile in Paris, but he wrote no further comic or dramatic work.

This lighthearted play tells the farcical tale of Jack Worthing and Algernon Montcrieff--two men who falsely claim to be named Ernest when they fall in love with two women whose affections are illogically but irrevocably tied to the name.The Importance of Being Earnest was popular upon its debut in 1895. It was not until the twentieth century that Wilde''s work was once again recognized both for its literary worth and comedic genius, and subsequently The Importance of Being Earnest has been adapted many times for film and theatre, most recently in the 2002 film starring Colin Firth, Rupert Everett, Reese Witherspoon, and Dame Judy Dench.

The Importance of Being Earnest was popular upon its debut in 1895. It was not until the twentieth century that Wilde''s work was once again recognized both for its literary worth and comedic genius, and subsequently The Importance of Being Earnest has been adapted many times for film and theatre, most recently in the 2002 film starring Colin Firth, Rupert Everett, Reese Witherspoon, and Dame Judy Dench.

An Ideal Husband is an 1895 comedic stage play by Oscar Wilde which revolves around blackmail and political corruption, and touches on the themes of public and private honour. The action is set in London, in "the present", and takes place over the course of twenty-four hours."Sooner or later," Wilde notes, "we shall all have to pay for what we do." But he adds that, "No one should be entirely judged by their past." Together with The Importance of Being Earnest, it is often considered Wilde''s dramatic masterpiece. After Earnest, it is his most popularly produced play.

Wilde treats marriage as a complicated and imperfect relationship in his play, and mocks the Chilterns'' try to create the suitable marriage primarily based on social repute. Lady Chiltern continuously states that her husband cannot come up with the money for to help the Argentine Canal scheme because he represents the first-rate of English lifestyles. Both Lady Basildon and Mrs. Marchmont complain approximately their marriage because they are too perfect, and are consequently uninteresting. In any marriage, issues arise, however in the nice marriages, love stays steady. Lord Goring is the play''s champion of love, and his courting with Mabel permits for imperfections in place of focusing on ideals. Mrs. Cheveley tries to make Lord Goring marry her, however she represents evil and self-interest, and as Lord Goring notes, desecrates the phrase of affection. Thus, he does not even consider accepting her proposal, and maintains real to himself and his love. The survival of marriage and the inspiration of entering into married union is front and middle during the plot, and highlights the characters'' imperfections.

The Importance of Being Earnest was popular upon its debut in 1895. It was not until the twentieth century that Wilde''s work was once again recognized both for its literary worth and comedic genius, and subsequently The Importance of Being Earnest has been adapted many times for film and theatre, most recently in the 2002 film starring Colin Firth, Rupert Everett, Reese Witherspoon, and Dame Judy Dench.

''''An Ideal Husband'''' is a play written by Oscar Wilde, a comedy that takes place over a short period of time and involves blackmail and corruption. "An Ideal Husband" tells the story of Sir Robert Chiltern, a well-liked politician who is considered a bastion of morality by everyone he knows, especially his wife. However, an acquaintance of the Chilterns, Mrs Cheveley, uncovers a secret from Sir Robert''s past that could ruin both his reputation and his wife''s good opinion if were to become common knowledge. Sir Robert finds himself caught between a rock and a hard place as Mrs Cheveley attempts to blackmail him into supporting a fraudulent scheme that would leave his good name equally tarnished, and is forced to turn to his friend, the dandyish aesthete Lord Goring, to help him find a way out of this conundrum... Oscar Wilde was one of the most fascinating authors of the 19th century, known as much for his witticisms as for his writing. His most notable works include the novel "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and the comic plays "An Ideal Husband" and "Lady Windermere''s Fan". All his works reflect Wilde ́s promotion of Aestheticism.

Written in his distinctively dazzling manner, Oscar Wilde''s story of a fashionable young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty is the author''s most popular work. The tale of Dorian Gray''s moral disintegration caused a scandal when it first appeared in 1890, but though Wilde was attacked for the novel''s corrupting influence, he responded that there is, in fact, "a terrible moral in Dorian Gray." Just a few years later, the book and the aesthetic/moral dilemma it presented became issues in the trials occasioned by Wilde''s homosexual liaisons, which resulted in his imprisonment. Of Dorian Gray''s relationship to autobiography, Wilde noted in a letter, "Basil Hallward is what I think I am: Lord Henry what the world thinks me: Dorian what I would like to be-in other ages, perhaps.""But beauty, real beauty, ends where an intellectual expression begins. Intellect is in itself a mode of exaggeration, and destroys the harmony of any face.""The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself, with desire for what its monstrous laws have made monstrous and unlawful."

Just a few years later, the book and the aesthetic/moral dilemma it presented became issues in the trials occasioned by Wilde''s homosexual liaisons, which resulted in his imprisonment. Of Dorian Gray''s relationship to autobiography, Wilde noted in a letter, "Basil Hallward is what I think I am: Lord Henry what the world thinks me: Dorian what I would like to be--in other ages, perhaps.Oscar Wilde

Written in his distinctively dazzling manner, Oscar Wilde''s story of a fashionable young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty is the author''s most popular work. The tale of Dorian Gray''s moral disintegration caused a scandal when it first appeared in 1890, but though Wilde was attacked for the novel''s corrupting influence, he responded that there is, in fact, "a terrible moral in Dorian Gray." Just a few years later, the book and the aesthetic/moral dilemma it presented became issues in the trials occasioned by Wilde''s homosexual liaisons, which resulted in his imprisonment. Of Dorian Gray''s relationship to autobiography, Wilde noted in a letter, "Basil Hallward is what I think I am: Lord Henry what the world thinks me: Dorian what I would like to be--in other ages, perhaps.

This lighthearted play tells the farcical tale of Jack Worthing and Algernon Montcrieff--two men who falsely claim to be named Ernest when they fall in love with two women whose affections are illogically but irrevocably tied to the name.The Importance of Being Earnest was popular upon its debut in 1895. It was not until the twentieth century that Wilde''s work was once again recognized both for its literary worth and comedic genius, and subsequently The Importance of Being Earnest has been adapted many times for film and theatre, most recently in the 2002 film starring Colin Firth, Rupert Everett, Reese Witherspoon, and Dame Judy Dench.