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The Fall of the House of Wilde
The Fall of the House of Wilde: Oscar Wilde and His Family | Emer O'Sullivan
5 posts | 2 read | 21 to read
It's widely known that Oscar Wilde was precociously intellectual, flamboyant, and hedonistic--but lesser so that he owed these characteristics to his parents and some members of the Wildes' dazzling Anglo-Irish coterie in Victorian Dublin. This is the first book to examine him within his milieu. His mother, a scintillating hostess, passed on her infectious delight in the art of living to Oscar, who drank it in greedily. His father laid the foundations for the Celtic cultural renaissance but ultimately was remembered for sexually assaulting a female patient. Both culturally and politically, their family had helped fuel the rise of Irish nationalism, which eventually would lead to the toppling of the Protestant ruling class. When the Wildes decamped to London, Oscar burst upon the scene and set upon the task of inventing himself. In no time, his face was one of the most photographed on both sides of the Atlantic, and beneath that swelling head was a self-destructive itch. He never knew when the party was over, and ultimately, his trial for indecency heralded the death of decadence--and his own. The Wilde family were members of a caste whose fortunes were turning, but they also seemed to unwittingly court disaster. The Fall of the House of Wilde is a remarkable and perceptive account of one of the most prominent characters of the late nineteenth century--and the family and society that created him.
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RealBooks4ever
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Two of the books I won from the Holiday Reading Contest on Bookwitty! More to come (shipped separately)!

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MrBook
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#TBRtemptation post! Who likes bios on authors & other figures from the literary world? I eat that material up like Swedish Fish in a pond of marshmallows! Any Oscar Wilde fans present? I know there's quite a few of you out there. Well, bust my buttons if I didn't come across this book for you! It's thick, has an extensive bibliography, has an amazing cover, & smell delicious. What's left to persuade you to get it ☺️😉? #blameLitsy #blameMrBook

Grrlbrarian You are leading me into danger, @MrBook 😳 8y
LeahBergen Oooh! 👍🏼 8y
Libby1 Have you come across Giles Brandreth's series where Oscar Wilde is a sleuth in cahoots with Arthur Conan Doyle? They're great fun. 8y
See All 10 Comments
Alfoster Not a fan of biographies but LOVED teaching The Importance of Being Earnest to students (most of whom could read in a British accent)!😍😍 8y
Jinjer Thanks for welcoming me to Litsy! I'm afraid I haven't read any Oscar Wilde yet!😳 8y
shawnmooney I like the idea of a biography, but I've rarely read one that wasn't horribly written. So I avoid them like the plague. Of course, Wilde is fascinating. I've read one or two biographies of his, all badly written of course. :-) I hope you have better luck with this one. 👍👍 8y
Kitta I have an Oscar Wilde tattoo! I'd love this. 8y
MrBook @Grrlbrarian 😂😂😂👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻! @LeahBergen 😉👍🏻! @Libby1 Ooh! Now I'll need to indulge in a new series 😁👏🏻, thank you 😎👌🏻!!! @Graciouswarriorprincess 😁👍🏻!! @Alfoster 😂👏🏻 You're the absolute best 😎🙌🏻! @Jinjer Glad to have you ☺️🙌🏻! Get ready for your TBR pile to build rapidly on here 😂👏🏻. @shawnmooney 😂😂👏🏻👏🏻 You're awesome 😎🙌🏻! @Kitta 😳😁👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻! Can you post a photo on Litsy for everyone?! 8y
LitsyGoesPostal 😎👍🏻 8y
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MicheleSheldon
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Brilliant research into Oscar's family, his parents, brother Willy and his wife Constance. The second half of the book deals with a great deal of information already known but the family information is fascinating. Well worth a read.

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Shazzer
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My God what an amazing mother and father Oscar had. I never knew how interesting they were. The first half focuses on them. The second half is like watching a car crash happening as you realise how self destructive Oscar and his brother William were.

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TotesCharlRed

Looks beautiful, super keen to read this... Any thoughts on it so far?