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Oscar Wilde's birth
Oscar wilde was born in Dublin, the son of a surgeon and a literary woman -
Oscar Wilde at Trinity College
Between 1871 and 1874 Oscar Wilde attends the Trinity College in Dublin, where he is awarded the Berkeley Gold Metal for Classics -
Oscar Wilde at Magdalene College, Oxford
In 1874 Oscar Wilde wins a scolarship to Magdalene College, in Oxford, where he becomes an exponent of the Aesthetic Movement -
Oscar Wilde in London
In November 1878 Oscar Wilde graduates in Oxford and then he moves to London, where he becomes the spokeperson for Aestheticism, known for his wit and flamboyant style -
Publication of Poems
Oscar Wilde publishes his first (and unsuccessful) volume of poems -
Oscar Wilde's lecture tour of the USA
In 1882 Oscar Wilde travels to America for a lecture tour, thus spreading his role as a spokeperson of Aestheticism -
Oscar Wilde's marriage
In 1884 Oscar Wilde marries Constance Lloyd, who bears him two children -
The Picture of Dorian Gray
In 1890 Oscar Wilde publishes the first version of The Picture of Dorian Gray in Lippincott's Magazine. The final version, edited with the famous preface, is published the following year -
Lady Windermere's Fan
Between 1892 and 1895 Oscar Wilde obtains a huge success with his society comedies, a revival of the comedy of manners. Lady Windermere's Fan is the first of the 4 comedies -
A Woman of No Importance
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An Ideal Husband
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The Importance of Being Earnest
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Oscar Wilde's imprisonment
Due to his homosexual relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas, in 1895 Oscar Wilde is condemned to 2 years imprisonment. In fact, homosexuality was considered illegal at the time. -
Oscar Wilde's release
In 1897 Oscar Wilde is released from prison and moves to France on a self-imposed exile. During his exile he publishes The Ballad of the Reading Gaol, a poem describing an execution which Wilde witnessed while he was in jail -
Oscar Wilde's death
Oscar Wilde dies in Paris on 30th November 1900. He dies in poverty and loneliness. His tomb is located in Père Lachaise Cemetery (Paris), and its epitaph is taken from The Ballad of the Reading Gaol:
And alien tears will fill for him
Pity's long-broken urn,
For his mourners will be outcast men,
And outcasts always mourn.
