Victorian era saw the domination of art in its various forms. Painters, sculptors, writers, and artists gave a whole new definition to art. Literature too took a front seat as there were novelists, poets, essayist, critic and playwrights who made Victorian era the period of thriving literature. And while talking about playwrights, the name of Oscar Wilde comes to the forefront. He was by far one of the greatest playwrights of the Victorian era. A proponent of the Aesthetic movement of the 19th century, he emphasized aesthetic values more than moral or social themes. He advocated art for art’s sake. In his lifetime he wrote nine plays, one novel, and numerous poems, short stories, and essays. Amongst his most famous works include the poem, ‘The Ballad of the Reading Gaol’, the novel ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ and the play, ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’. He also came up with the comic masterpiece ‘Lady Windermere’s Fan’. Literary accomplishments apart, Wilde was famous for his wit and flamboyance with men. He was tried and imprisoned for his homosexual relationship with the son of an aristocrat. Coming back to his literary endeavours, Wilde’s greatness can be felt in his quotes that give a new perception about life. Check this section and find quotes by Oscar Wilde.
Yes: I am a dreamer. For a dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world.
