The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde (eBook)

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) stands as one of the most iconic and influential writers of the late Victorian era, renowned for his wit, flamboyant persona, and a literary canon that includes plays, fiction, and essays. His Irish heritage and education at Trinity College Dublin, followed by Magdalen College, Oxford, where he notably won the Newdigate Prize for his poem 'Ravenna', greatly shaped his literary development (Ellmann, 1988). Wilde effortlessly wielded his mastery of language and sharp wit in works like 'The Importance of Being Earnest' and 'An Ideal Husband,' which continue to captivate audiences with their incisive social commentary and satirical brilliance. His only novel, 'The Picture of Dorian Gray', provokes enduring discussions on aestheticism and the duplicity of societal morality, themes which often permeated his work. Wilde's diverse literary contributions are superbly compiled in 'The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde,' offering a comprehensive look at his oeuvre. His unique style--epigrammatic, with a penchant for paradox--challenges and delights readers, refusing to distance art from the complex moral landscape of human experience. Despite his tragic fall from grace and imprisonment, Wilde's genius endures, immortalized through his words and the scholarly criticism they continue to inspire (Mason, 2007).