The Unmasking of Oscar Wilde - Hardcover

Pearce, Joseph

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1586170260 ISBN 13: 9781586170264

Publisher: Ignatius Press, 2005

Synopsis

Details the life of Oscar Wilde, including his work as an author, his fascination with Catholicism, and his time in prison for a homosexual affair.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

'"You know what my Art was to me, the great primal note by which I had revealed first myself to myself an then myself to the world."'

'"Truth is independent of fact always."'

'"Anarchy ... Freedom's own Judas, the vile prodigal ... Licence who steals the gold of liberty."'

The great poet, satirist and playwright, Oscar Wilde, is as misunderstood today as he was in his own time. Vilified and persecuted by fellow Victorians for his sexuality and his dandyism, these days he hailed as a progressive sexual liberator.

Yet this not how Wilde saw himself. His actions and his pretences did not bring him happiness and fulfilment: his art did. And this is where Pearce's search for the man behind the masks is centred.

This powerful and controversial new study if wilde's brilliant and tragic life is published on the Centenary of his death. Rather than lingering on the mistakes which brought him notoriety, it explores the emotional and spiritual search of this fascinating and complex literary figure.

'The Unmasking of Oscar Wilde' uncovers how his 'heart of stone' was broken by the two-year prison sentence and probes the deeper thinking behind the masterpieces of his novel, plays, short stories and poetry. It includes discussion of 'The Ballad of Reading Gaol' and the posthumously published, 'De Profoundis' and also traces his love affair with the church.

About the Author:

Joseph Pearce is a major author for HarperCollinsReligious.

About this edition

• Publisher: Ignatius Press
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1586170260
• ISBN 13: 9781586170264
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 412