OSCAR WILDE'S OUTRAGEOUS AFFAIR -- WITH A MAN!
OK! News has just gained an insider viewpoint on the unbelievable private life of the author Oscar Wilde. We sat down to an interview with a close friend of the family who wishes to remain anonymous, and we've got the whole story for you right here!
Oscar Wilde, renowned author, poet, and playwright, has recently been accused of sodomy, a crime punishable by a sentence to prison and possibly exile. But how can you know if what you're hearing is true, and not simply slander? Luckily, OK! News has already screened and researched the evidence and claims being made, and we've got it all ready for you to read now.
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As you all probably are aware, Oscar Wilde is good friends with a young Oxford student named Lord Alfred Douglas. This friendship has been blossoming since the two met in 1891, when Wilde's career was also blossoming. Although most people were suspicious that the friendship went a little deeper than the two men admitted, no one really saw any point in stirring up trouble for the two. Constance Wilde was not particularly bothered, nor was she very surprised, says our source, an unnamed friend. Years before, after the birth of their second son, the Wildes had welcomed a young man named Robbie Ross into their home, a particularly close "friend" of Oscar's. It is suggested that this is when Mr. Wilde's preference turned to men. Therefore, the relationship between her husband and Lord Douglas was not particularly troubling to Constance. According to Miranda Seymour of The Guardian, "no boat was rocked."
However, not everyone was so accepting of the scandalous nature of Wilde and Douglas's relationship. They made few efforts to conceal the fact that they were lovers, so it was already widely suspected among their social circle. When new stricter laws were passed against homosexuality, the two really paid little attention to the fact, thinking that no one had any reason to press charges. None of their friends did, but Lord Douglas's father felt very differently, and he made it clear in a most rude manner.
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February 14, 1895, at the premiere of Oscar Wilde's play, The Importance of Being Ernest, everything began to go downhill. Lord Queensberry (Alfred's father) left a peculiarly worded card for Mr. Wilde. He addressed the author as the "posing somdomite" [sic], an offensive term for someone who was homosexual at the time. Mr. Wilde was understandably angry, as that was equivalent to being accused of a crime. However, and this is the really mind blowing part, he might not have pressed charges had it not been for the encouragement of his lover, Lord Douglas. Douglas urged Wilde to stand up for himself instead of letting Queensberry say such things. Unfortunately, Wilde listened to Douglas and decided to sue Queensberry for libel, beginning the court case that would soon cost him his own way of life.
The card left for Wilde at his club after the premiere of his play
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You probably know the rest of the story, but we'll provide a quick summary in case you don't:
Queensberry's lawyers quickly decided that the easiest way to acquit him of libel was to prove that his statement was true -- they needed to present evidence that supported his claim that Wilde was practicing homosexuality. Using many letters and passages from his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, Queensberry was soon acquitted, and Wilde's own trial commenced. He was being charged with "gross indecency." |
Wilde was soon convicted, using more evidence from his writings and personal possessions, sentenced to two years of hard labor. He died five years after his sentencing in Paris.
For more detailed information, click here to visit the source page.
Sources used here:
Biography.com Editors. "Oscar Wilde." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2016.
Ross, Alex. "Deceptive Picture." The New Yorker. The New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2011. Web. 3 Mar. 2016.
Seymour, Miranda. "Constance: The Tragic and Scandalous Life of Mrs Oscar Wilde by Franny Moyle – Review." The Guardian. Guardian News, 24 June 2011. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
Sources used here:
Biography.com Editors. "Oscar Wilde." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2016.
Ross, Alex. "Deceptive Picture." The New Yorker. The New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2011. Web. 3 Mar. 2016.
Seymour, Miranda. "Constance: The Tragic and Scandalous Life of Mrs Oscar Wilde by Franny Moyle – Review." The Guardian. Guardian News, 24 June 2011. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.