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The Unmasking of Oscar Wilde
Vilified by fellow Victorians for his sexuality and his dandyism, Oscar Wilde, the great poet, satirist and playwright, is hailed today, in some circles, as a "progressive" sexual liberator. But this is not how Wilde saw himself. His actions and pretensions did not bring him happiness and fulfillment. This study of Wilde's brilliant and tragic life goes beyond the mistakes that brought him notoriety in order to explore this emotional and spiritual search. Unlike any other biography of Wilde, it strips away these pretensions to show the real man, his aspirations and desires. It uncovers how he was broken by his two-year prison sentence; it probes the deeper thinking behind masterpieces such as The Picture of Dorian Gray, Salome, “The Ballad of Reading Gaol” and “De Profundis”; and it traces his fascination with Catholicism through to his eleventh-hour conversion. Published on the 150th anniversary of his birth, this biography removes the masks which have confused previous biographers and reveals the real Wilde beneath the surface. Once again, Joseph Pearce has written a profound, wide-ranging study with many original insights on a great literary figure. “The Unmasking of Oscar Wilde is a brilliant interpretive biography of a wit, bon vivant, and literary genius who still delights us a century after his death. In Joseph Pearce’s sympathetic appraisal we never forget that Wilde was not just an entertainer but a soul that found himself only after ignominy, loss, and desolation. I have read many of the other books on Wilde, and this is my favorite.” —Ron Hansen, NYT Bestselling Author of Mariette in Ecstasy “Joseph Pearce has done it again! Chesterton, Belloc, Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and now Oscar Wilde have all been coaxed out of their graves for us by this grave-robber named Pearce. Oscar proves to be a very lively ghost.” —Peter Kreeft Author, Love
Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
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About the author
Joseph Pearce
174 books284 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author with this name on GR
Joseph Pearce (born 1961) is an English-born writer, and as of 2004 Writer in Residence and Professor of Literature at Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, Florida; previously he had a comparable position, from 2001, at Ave Maria College in Ypsilanti, Michigan. He is known for a number of literary biographies, many of Catholic figures. Formerly aligned with the National Front, a white nationalist political party, he converted to Roman Catholicism in 1989, repudiated his earlier views, and now writes from a Catholic perspective. He is a co-editor of the St. Austin Review and editor-in-chief of Sapientia Press.
Joseph Pearce (born 1961) is an English-born writer, and as of 2004 Writer in Residence and Professor of Literature at Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, Florida; previously he had a comparable position, from 2001, at Ave Maria College in Ypsilanti, Michigan. He is known for a number of literary biographies, many of Catholic figures. Formerly aligned with the National Front, a white nationalist political party, he converted to Roman Catholicism in 1989, repudiated his earlier views, and now writes from a Catholic perspective. He is a co-editor of the St. Austin Review and editor-in-chief of Sapientia Press.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 28, 2021
The most compelling plot in the world, I think, is the age-old story of one soul's struggle against sin. That's why St. Augustine is so popular, right? "Our hearts are restless, Lord, until they rest in Thee."
Well, Oscar Wilde was a restless heart. And in this book, Joseph Pearce traces the wanderings of his soul with sensitivity, objectivity, and finesse.
It's a tall order, you know?--telling the story of somebody else's soul. At the end of the day it's impossible, because only God knows the heart. But it's a little less impossible to say something about somebody's soul when that somebody is a writer, because each writer leaves a paper trail. (Literally.) I think Joseph Pearce has done a good job following Oscar Wilde's paper trail--hounding it, to steal a verb from Francis Thompson (who figures into the narrative in a rather small but intensely beautiful way).
And in addition to being a good scholarly source, it's an emotional rollercoaster of a read.
In the beginning, when Wilde is at school, there is a feeling of great and happy spiritual possibilities. He was in love with a girl named Florence, he was enamored of the Church of Rome, he had good friends, his aestheticism was a quest for beauty and morality, he had a bright academic future ahead of him.
Then things start to go downhill. He loses Florence to Bram Stoker, he can't work up the nerve to enter the Church, many of his good friends DO enter the Church, he and his good friends drift apart, his aestheticism decays into decadence, he starts dabbling in freemasonry and presumably the occult, he says things he can't possibly mean, he gets married and has two precious little boys and it could be wonderful but he abandons his family for sexual promiscuity...
It's SAD, guys. It's really, REALLY sad.
And then there's the affair with Lord Alfred Douglas, and the fallout from that, and suffering, and De Profundis and "The Ballad of Reading Gaol", and the last sad years when he didn't write anything at all.
And in the end....there's hope. Great, good hope for this man who sinned and suffered so much.
But it's still sad.
Gosh, I love Oscar Wilde so much, and I need to read more of his work. No--more of his Art. Art is the word. We will pay him that tribute he deserves so well.
As for Joseph Pearce, I've read only two of his books so far, but I have a feeling this one will stand as my favorite for some time.
Well, Oscar Wilde was a restless heart. And in this book, Joseph Pearce traces the wanderings of his soul with sensitivity, objectivity, and finesse.
It's a tall order, you know?--telling the story of somebody else's soul. At the end of the day it's impossible, because only God knows the heart. But it's a little less impossible to say something about somebody's soul when that somebody is a writer, because each writer leaves a paper trail. (Literally.) I think Joseph Pearce has done a good job following Oscar Wilde's paper trail--hounding it, to steal a verb from Francis Thompson (who figures into the narrative in a rather small but intensely beautiful way).
And in addition to being a good scholarly source, it's an emotional rollercoaster of a read.
In the beginning, when Wilde is at school, there is a feeling of great and happy spiritual possibilities. He was in love with a girl named Florence, he was enamored of the Church of Rome, he had good friends, his aestheticism was a quest for beauty and morality, he had a bright academic future ahead of him.
Then things start to go downhill. He loses Florence to Bram Stoker, he can't work up the nerve to enter the Church, many of his good friends DO enter the Church, he and his good friends drift apart, his aestheticism decays into decadence, he starts dabbling in freemasonry and presumably the occult, he says things he can't possibly mean, he gets married and has two precious little boys and it could be wonderful but he abandons his family for sexual promiscuity...
It's SAD, guys. It's really, REALLY sad.
And then there's the affair with Lord Alfred Douglas, and the fallout from that, and suffering, and De Profundis and "The Ballad of Reading Gaol", and the last sad years when he didn't write anything at all.
And in the end....there's hope. Great, good hope for this man who sinned and suffered so much.
But it's still sad.
Gosh, I love Oscar Wilde so much, and I need to read more of his work. No--more of his Art. Art is the word. We will pay him that tribute he deserves so well.
As for Joseph Pearce, I've read only two of his books so far, but I have a feeling this one will stand as my favorite for some time.
July 24, 2011
I read Pearce's biography of Chesterton and thought it was ok. He did not offer a lot of insight and, for as much as I love Chesterton, he seemed to be too much of an apologist for him.
I thought that Pearce escapes many of those faults in his excellent treatment of Wilde.
Briefly, the negatives here are somewhat similar to the Chesterton bio. He mentions critics of Wilde's work, but I can't recall when he agreed with them. Surely some of them might have been right about something. But he is also critical of Wilde at times, and seems a bit more detached than his Chesterton treatment which serves him well here.
I became interested in reading this when I discovered Wilde's fairy tales, many of which have direct Christian themes. I then realized that other works of his (like Dorian Gray) share many components of a Christian worldview. But wasn't Wilde a 'decadent,' who believed in art for art's sake, and so on? So who was Oscar Wilde?
The answer in some ways is that he was both a highly intuitive spiritual man, and one also addicted to the social scene, one who loved to put on 'masks,' and one whose masks (like homosexuality, possibly) become a part of him. Pearce does not try and shoehorn a linear narrative out of his life to fit a preconceived pattern. Wilde had great interest in Catholicism during his college days, and this attraction would wax and wane at various points, finally culminating in his formal conversion in the final days of his life. Wilde's story is certainly tragic on many levels, but it did not feel overwhelmingly sad to me. Perhaps it could have happened in no other way.
One subtext here that I appreciated was the 'Wilde vs. the Victorians' theme that runs beneath the book. One of my main critiques of the Victorians was that they were not interested in transcendence, but only morality. But morality without transcendence is a disaster waiting to happen, leading to rigidity, judgmental attitudes, etc. Here Pearce is right that at least some of Wilde's critics would completely miss the point. 'Salome' is certainly provocative, but in the end the lust of she and Herod destroys them both. Many could only cry foul, however, at the bringing up the theme at all, missing the larger point. Understanding the Victorian era is, I think, a key to Wilde's life. He went to seemingly polar extremes alternatively to rebel against it.
I don't doubt that Wilde was a complicated, brilliant man, and so Pearce's work may not the definitive treatment. But all in all, his theme of how Wilde's 'masks' both alternatively reveal and conceal the true man does a lot for me to make sense of him.
I thought that Pearce escapes many of those faults in his excellent treatment of Wilde.
Briefly, the negatives here are somewhat similar to the Chesterton bio. He mentions critics of Wilde's work, but I can't recall when he agreed with them. Surely some of them might have been right about something. But he is also critical of Wilde at times, and seems a bit more detached than his Chesterton treatment which serves him well here.
I became interested in reading this when I discovered Wilde's fairy tales, many of which have direct Christian themes. I then realized that other works of his (like Dorian Gray) share many components of a Christian worldview. But wasn't Wilde a 'decadent,' who believed in art for art's sake, and so on? So who was Oscar Wilde?
The answer in some ways is that he was both a highly intuitive spiritual man, and one also addicted to the social scene, one who loved to put on 'masks,' and one whose masks (like homosexuality, possibly) become a part of him. Pearce does not try and shoehorn a linear narrative out of his life to fit a preconceived pattern. Wilde had great interest in Catholicism during his college days, and this attraction would wax and wane at various points, finally culminating in his formal conversion in the final days of his life. Wilde's story is certainly tragic on many levels, but it did not feel overwhelmingly sad to me. Perhaps it could have happened in no other way.
One subtext here that I appreciated was the 'Wilde vs. the Victorians' theme that runs beneath the book. One of my main critiques of the Victorians was that they were not interested in transcendence, but only morality. But morality without transcendence is a disaster waiting to happen, leading to rigidity, judgmental attitudes, etc. Here Pearce is right that at least some of Wilde's critics would completely miss the point. 'Salome' is certainly provocative, but in the end the lust of she and Herod destroys them both. Many could only cry foul, however, at the bringing up the theme at all, missing the larger point. Understanding the Victorian era is, I think, a key to Wilde's life. He went to seemingly polar extremes alternatively to rebel against it.
I don't doubt that Wilde was a complicated, brilliant man, and so Pearce's work may not the definitive treatment. But all in all, his theme of how Wilde's 'masks' both alternatively reveal and conceal the true man does a lot for me to make sense of him.
August 29, 2021
Warning. If you feel offended by the following quote, I highly recommend that you DO NOT read this book, once you might be slightly enraged by it.
"Wilde's adoption of homosexuality in private coincided with his new image in public as a respectable married man" Page 199 - Kindle Version -
- This book was a 4 stars before this quote. 3 stars before I started to get frustration with all the quotes similar to this one. And now 2 stars, because it has quite a good beginning and ending, but I can not handle how the author pushes his own opinions of Wilde's life, his homophobic phrasings, and how he uses quotes out of context. Specially when 90% of the quotes he used from "The Picture of Dorian Gray" to illustrates his point of how 'Moral' the book was, weren't even in the original typescript -
That cleared up. "The Unmasking of Oscar Wilde" is a biography from Joseph Pierce that seeks to revel the "Real Oscar" by analyzing his Life, his Art, and above all, his relationship with the Catholic Church. The thing is, I'm still not sure how the Author intends to "unmask" Wilde, considering that he doesn't really understands Wilde. Wilde is complex and multidimensional, like I believe most people are. He was wise enough to be able to entreat a though, play with it, talk about it and write about it, not necessarily agreeing with it! He could also see the world from more than one perspective. While Pearce seemed to be someone who is unable to understand that people
can have more than one thought about one subject.
Honestly, considering that I have 96 notes about this book, I could probably write a freaking thesis about it. But I'll try and keep it short. Simplifying, I wouldn't recommend reading this before knowing a bit about Wilde's history, I was lucky to have read "The Picture of Dorian Gray: An Annotated, Uncensored Edition" before reading this biography, meaning I could have a more clear and critical vision when reading this book. That said....
The first 180 pages were great! 4 stars! A few incoherence here and there but overall, amazing work. It was a bit strange that the author didn't mentioned that Oscar was gay not even once in this first half of the book, and there were moments when the author pushed a bit, especially talking about Florentine and Constance, Oscar's romantic interests in this part of his life. Let's just say that there were moments - like Wilde's earliest conflicts about becoming a Catholic, and how he felt as not worthy of it - were Pierce could totally suggest that maybe the reason for this indecision and self-loathing was the fact that he was gay. I found it weird such missed opportunities of trying to have an insight of Wilde's feelings, but didn't think much of it. Truly it was kind of a relief having a biography that didn't focused so much in Wilde's love life.
And then the next 100 pages were loathsome. From about the page 180 to the page 312 I had to try really hard not to DNF it. Truly, the quote presented earlier in this review enraged me a bit, and it wasn't only that. There was a slight homophobic tone in this section of the book (clarified by a quick research of Joseph Pearce's life on wikipedia). And, the thing is, the author totally gets away with it, because he just alludes it as this "sin" - what is not even wrong, not because he was gay, but because he was committing adultery- and how it was leading him to disgrace - not wrong again, once Wilde goes to jail because of it- And the author continues to write things like:
"Wilde, having been introduced to the strange flowers and subtle perfumes of homosexuality by Robert Ross, was developing an insatiable promiscuity [...] the appetite for this newfound sexuality" Page 208 - Kindle version -
For which I was just continuing to get frustrated and making notes like: "Honey, He was gay". (Plus I'm pretty sure he knew about it since at least his Oxford days, as stated in The Picture of Dorian Gray: An Annotated, Uncensored Edition!)
And then there is the page 227 - the last paragraph of chapter 14 - that was plainly bad, and annoys me so much, for many reasons, but because I'm trying to keep it short and not rant too much, let's talk about only one of them.
Basically the author uses this quote that is a letter from Wilde to Alfred Douglas:
"Years later he wrote from prison to Lord Alfred Douglas in words of bitter regret: ‘When I compare my friendship with you to my friendship with such still younger men as John Gray and Pierre Louys I feel ashamed. My real life, my higher life was with them and such as they.’"
What frustrates me about this is that is completely out of context. At this point of the book the author is speaking about how John Gray became a catholic, and how Wilde didn't, utilizing of this quote as a proof of how years later he would "bitter regret" this. The thing is, at this point of the book we don't even know who Alfred Douglas is, or what was the nature of his and Wilde's friendship! Plus, John Gray was Wilde's lover, and hence, this quote could merely illustrates how Wilde felt ashamed of the things he did with Alfred Douglas, such as continually hiring prostitutes for an example! (Specially considering that the "friendship" alluded by Wilde doesn't have specifics about date or nature. Meaning that It doesn't necessarily convey what the author wants it to convey. Not that one should notice this, once Alfred Douglas hasn't even being introduced yet!) Edit: Whilst re reading "De Profoundis" page 7 -I found out that the context for Wilde's quote is basically that Douglas's interests where with Life and not with Art, that his nature was keeping Wilde from his Art. So yes this quote is COMPLETELY out of context here!)
Now, thankfully, around page 312 things get better for the book, and worst for Wilde. There is less of the homophobic phrasing. And more of the religious talks, which are the high points of the book, even if you don't necessarily agrees with the author.
Lastly, the ultimate reason that I don't really trust Pearce's opinion of Wilde's life can be illustrated by this quote:
"Was Wilde aesthetically schizophrenic, hearing voices that contradicted those of his deeper self?"
Yes. There is a bigger context for this quote, but honestly I don't need it. Pearce spends the whole book trying to discern Wilde, trying to understands who Oscar Wilde really is. 'Is he this or that? Is he in this art? If yes, in which, he loves church in this poem and hates it in this other!' I wonder if Pearce ever entreated the thought that he was all of that. I can't possibly image why on God's green earth someone should be limited to one belief all the time! - also, I'm an atheist -
"Wilde's adoption of homosexuality in private coincided with his new image in public as a respectable married man" Page 199 - Kindle Version -
- This book was a 4 stars before this quote. 3 stars before I started to get frustration with all the quotes similar to this one. And now 2 stars, because it has quite a good beginning and ending, but I can not handle how the author pushes his own opinions of Wilde's life, his homophobic phrasings, and how he uses quotes out of context. Specially when 90% of the quotes he used from "The Picture of Dorian Gray" to illustrates his point of how 'Moral' the book was, weren't even in the original typescript -
That cleared up. "The Unmasking of Oscar Wilde" is a biography from Joseph Pierce that seeks to revel the "Real Oscar" by analyzing his Life, his Art, and above all, his relationship with the Catholic Church. The thing is, I'm still not sure how the Author intends to "unmask" Wilde, considering that he doesn't really understands Wilde. Wilde is complex and multidimensional, like I believe most people are. He was wise enough to be able to entreat a though, play with it, talk about it and write about it, not necessarily agreeing with it! He could also see the world from more than one perspective. While Pearce seemed to be someone who is unable to understand that people
can have more than one thought about one subject.
Honestly, considering that I have 96 notes about this book, I could probably write a freaking thesis about it. But I'll try and keep it short. Simplifying, I wouldn't recommend reading this before knowing a bit about Wilde's history, I was lucky to have read "The Picture of Dorian Gray: An Annotated, Uncensored Edition" before reading this biography, meaning I could have a more clear and critical vision when reading this book. That said....
The first 180 pages were great! 4 stars! A few incoherence here and there but overall, amazing work. It was a bit strange that the author didn't mentioned that Oscar was gay not even once in this first half of the book, and there were moments when the author pushed a bit, especially talking about Florentine and Constance, Oscar's romantic interests in this part of his life. Let's just say that there were moments - like Wilde's earliest conflicts about becoming a Catholic, and how he felt as not worthy of it - were Pierce could totally suggest that maybe the reason for this indecision and self-loathing was the fact that he was gay. I found it weird such missed opportunities of trying to have an insight of Wilde's feelings, but didn't think much of it. Truly it was kind of a relief having a biography that didn't focused so much in Wilde's love life.
And then the next 100 pages were loathsome. From about the page 180 to the page 312 I had to try really hard not to DNF it. Truly, the quote presented earlier in this review enraged me a bit, and it wasn't only that. There was a slight homophobic tone in this section of the book (clarified by a quick research of Joseph Pearce's life on wikipedia). And, the thing is, the author totally gets away with it, because he just alludes it as this "sin" - what is not even wrong, not because he was gay, but because he was committing adultery- and how it was leading him to disgrace - not wrong again, once Wilde goes to jail because of it- And the author continues to write things like:
"Wilde, having been introduced to the strange flowers and subtle perfumes of homosexuality by Robert Ross, was developing an insatiable promiscuity [...] the appetite for this newfound sexuality" Page 208 - Kindle version -
For which I was just continuing to get frustrated and making notes like: "Honey, He was gay". (Plus I'm pretty sure he knew about it since at least his Oxford days, as stated in The Picture of Dorian Gray: An Annotated, Uncensored Edition!)
And then there is the page 227 - the last paragraph of chapter 14 - that was plainly bad, and annoys me so much, for many reasons, but because I'm trying to keep it short and not rant too much, let's talk about only one of them.
Basically the author uses this quote that is a letter from Wilde to Alfred Douglas:
"Years later he wrote from prison to Lord Alfred Douglas in words of bitter regret: ‘When I compare my friendship with you to my friendship with such still younger men as John Gray and Pierre Louys I feel ashamed. My real life, my higher life was with them and such as they.’"
What frustrates me about this is that is completely out of context. At this point of the book the author is speaking about how John Gray became a catholic, and how Wilde didn't, utilizing of this quote as a proof of how years later he would "bitter regret" this. The thing is, at this point of the book we don't even know who Alfred Douglas is, or what was the nature of his and Wilde's friendship! Plus, John Gray was Wilde's lover, and hence, this quote could merely illustrates how Wilde felt ashamed of the things he did with Alfred Douglas, such as continually hiring prostitutes for an example! (Specially considering that the "friendship" alluded by Wilde doesn't have specifics about date or nature. Meaning that It doesn't necessarily convey what the author wants it to convey. Not that one should notice this, once Alfred Douglas hasn't even being introduced yet!) Edit: Whilst re reading "De Profoundis" page 7 -I found out that the context for Wilde's quote is basically that Douglas's interests where with Life and not with Art, that his nature was keeping Wilde from his Art. So yes this quote is COMPLETELY out of context here!)
Now, thankfully, around page 312 things get better for the book, and worst for Wilde. There is less of the homophobic phrasing. And more of the religious talks, which are the high points of the book, even if you don't necessarily agrees with the author.
Lastly, the ultimate reason that I don't really trust Pearce's opinion of Wilde's life can be illustrated by this quote:
"Was Wilde aesthetically schizophrenic, hearing voices that contradicted those of his deeper self?"
Yes. There is a bigger context for this quote, but honestly I don't need it. Pearce spends the whole book trying to discern Wilde, trying to understands who Oscar Wilde really is. 'Is he this or that? Is he in this art? If yes, in which, he loves church in this poem and hates it in this other!' I wonder if Pearce ever entreated the thought that he was all of that. I can't possibly image why on God's green earth someone should be limited to one belief all the time! - also, I'm an atheist -
December 24, 2016
Excellent book. Pearce definitely has a good portion of Wilde's wit.
Read
March 6, 2024I just don't know what I think yet, alright Lauren?!
March 31, 2013
I loved this book. I will read anything Joseph Pearce writes. He is an eloquent writer and and speaker. His research is extensive and I have a better time believing his ideas than, taking it for truth, than many other writers who decide they have written a "definitive" book on someone. I've seen Jospeh Pearce speak on a panel and been to a few discussion groups/classes he lead and he is not only brilliant and has a wide information base on several subjects, bit he is a humble, sweet, caring man. I get lost in his writing and I love hearing him speak. If anyone reading this gets a chance to attend a C.S. Lewis and the Inklings retreat when he is part of it, I HIGHLY recommend it..money berg well spent. Even if he isn't a presenter, it is a wonderful retreat and everyone who presents is amazing.
October 8, 2014
A literary biography to be sure, best read after first reading Ellman's definitive bio (though Pearce does cast some doubt on the syphilis diagnosis and finally clears up that the picture of Wilde "cross-dressed" as Salome is NOT in fact Wilde). Still, interesting stuff on Oscar's lifelong flirtation with the Catholic Church culminating in his deathbed conversion, the one weak spot for me was not enough time spent on the indecency trial(s), particularly in parsing Wilde's testimony for further insight into the man.
November 12, 2018
I love his writings--they expose the inner workings, ambitions, desires and thoughts of man. He was quite diversified in his writings; poetry, plays, novels, and children's stories. His children story are wonderful. (He was a good father and loved his children.) His life was tragic in that he made the wrong friends and started exploring the wrong materials (pornography) which lead him down a slippery slope and the lose of wife and children, etc.
"Vilified by fellow Victorians for his sexuality and his dandyism, Oscar Wilde, the great poet, satirist and playwright, is hailed today, in some circles, as a "progressive" sexual liberator. But this is not how Wilde saw himself. His actions and pretensions did not bring him happiness and fulfillment. This study of Wilde's brilliant and tragic life goes beyond the mistakes that brought him notoriety in order to explore this emotional and spiritual search.
Unlike any other biography of Wilde, it strips away these pretensions to show the real man, his aspirations and desires. It uncovers how he was broken by his two-year prison sentence; it probes the deeper thinking behind masterpieces such as The Picture of Dorian Gray, Salome, “The Ballad of Reading Gaol” and “De Profundis”; and it traces his fascination with Catholicism through to his eleventh-hour conversion.
Published on the 150th anniversary of his birth, this biography removes the masks which have confused previous biographers and reveals the real Wilde beneath the surface. Once again, Joseph Pearce has written a profound, wide-ranging study with many original insights on a great literary figure.
"A brilliant interpretive biography of a wit, bon vivant and literary genius who still delights us a century after his death. I have read many of the other books on Wilde, and this is my favorite."
— Ron Hansen, New York Times Best-selling Author of Mariette in Ecstasy
"Chesterton, Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and now Oscar Wilde have all been coaxed out of their graves for us by this grave-robber named Pearce. Oscar proves to be a very lively ghost."
— Peter Kreeft, PhD, Professor of Philosophy, Boston College
"Vilified by fellow Victorians for his sexuality and his dandyism, Oscar Wilde, the great poet, satirist and playwright, is hailed today, in some circles, as a "progressive" sexual liberator. But this is not how Wilde saw himself. His actions and pretensions did not bring him happiness and fulfillment. This study of Wilde's brilliant and tragic life goes beyond the mistakes that brought him notoriety in order to explore this emotional and spiritual search.
Unlike any other biography of Wilde, it strips away these pretensions to show the real man, his aspirations and desires. It uncovers how he was broken by his two-year prison sentence; it probes the deeper thinking behind masterpieces such as The Picture of Dorian Gray, Salome, “The Ballad of Reading Gaol” and “De Profundis”; and it traces his fascination with Catholicism through to his eleventh-hour conversion.
Published on the 150th anniversary of his birth, this biography removes the masks which have confused previous biographers and reveals the real Wilde beneath the surface. Once again, Joseph Pearce has written a profound, wide-ranging study with many original insights on a great literary figure.
"A brilliant interpretive biography of a wit, bon vivant and literary genius who still delights us a century after his death. I have read many of the other books on Wilde, and this is my favorite."
— Ron Hansen, New York Times Best-selling Author of Mariette in Ecstasy
"Chesterton, Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and now Oscar Wilde have all been coaxed out of their graves for us by this grave-robber named Pearce. Oscar proves to be a very lively ghost."
— Peter Kreeft, PhD, Professor of Philosophy, Boston College
February 24, 2022
A broken man reshaped
This is a great book. Dr. Pearce does a great job telling the life story of a man who struggled much and endured much for his sins, and yet, was reshaped by that suffering by the time of his death. I cannot help but think of the verse from Romans 12, "be transformed by the renewing of your mind". That is the Christian life, one of complete transformation, Wilde's story being the hardest road, especially when he fell on his knees in repentance when he was told he would not be legally permitted to see his children upon his release from Reading gaol. But he has at last now found rest.
This is a great book. Dr. Pearce does a great job telling the life story of a man who struggled much and endured much for his sins, and yet, was reshaped by that suffering by the time of his death. I cannot help but think of the verse from Romans 12, "be transformed by the renewing of your mind". That is the Christian life, one of complete transformation, Wilde's story being the hardest road, especially when he fell on his knees in repentance when he was told he would not be legally permitted to see his children upon his release from Reading gaol. But he has at last now found rest.
August 11, 2023
A brilliant biographical analysis of Oscar Wilde. All I can say is bravo to the author: Pearce treats the subject, heavily criticized by other scholars, with a grace only attributable to a deep understanding of the human condition. I’ve always been fascinated by Wilde and find myself even more endeared to him, faults aside, after this reading.
March 7, 2021
Well written and beautifully realized as a work at odds with those who want to claim that OW would have been better off fully accepted as a gay man. In the end, it was his suffering in a prison cell which brought his soul peace he had never known.
January 3, 2019
Muy buena biografía de Oscar Wilde.
Merece claramente la pena.
Merece claramente la pena.
May 31, 2024
Lo leí a los 15 la edad en la que decís este tipo es un genio con cada ensayo de Oscar
December 29, 2020
Best book to follow up The Picture of Dorian Grey. I developed a slight obsession of Oscar Wilde after reading this. To anyone who has just read it, welcome to the club :)
July 14, 2007
Oscar Wilde was a profane and obscene character, which fact has prompted me to defend my interest in his life and works more than once. The fascination is that late in life (he had a short one), about two or three years before he died, his writing changed drastically from what most people know (think The Importance of Being Earnest or An Ideal Husband for some of his tamer works) to what seem to be the thoughtful and heartfelt writings of a broken man. His last two works, the Ballad of Reading Gaol and De Profundis are nothing like his earlier plays, and I recommend them (I also like his earlier works, though). He wrote these after spending two years in hard labor at Reading Gaol, which almost certainly shortened his life to the approximately forty years he lived.
May 19, 2015
As most biographies do, this book starts of very slow. I almost gave up on it for a time but always went back to plug away. However, this book builds and builds. I would give the first quarter of the book two stars, it reads almost like a bland text book doing not much more than throwing facts at you. Middle half would get three stars, a very solid building of the man and experience of Oscar. then Last quarter of the book is where the payoff truly rests. It is here where it becomes a page turner and is hard to put down.
Don't give up on this book in the beginning. It is very much worth the effort to get through the slow start.
Don't give up on this book in the beginning. It is very much worth the effort to get through the slow start.
August 4, 2010
I recently re-read this book--always a precarious test for a book. But Pearce's work stands up well. Something of a counterweight to Ellman's canonical biography, Pearce pays close attention to Wilde's life-long tortuous relationship to Christian faith, particularly Catholicism. Pearce is particularly good at drawing lines from the French "decadents" (Baudelaire, Huysmans, et. al.) to Wilde and British decadence. Of note is the fact that so many of these "decadents" became Catholic.
April 29, 2019
Oscar Wilde turned out to be both a much worse, and a much better man than I used to think - a man who willfully ruined his life and others, and a man who worried about his soul. I loved this biography, Joseph Pearce did a good job unmasking Wilde. A lot of the tragedy of Wildes life was of his own making, but you cannot help wishing him to make better choices than he did.
January 21, 2015
Satisfying, penetrating and thorough exploration of the real Wilde.
April 22, 2015
Christian biography of Wilde. A tale of self destruction.
Read any and all Pearce's books- they are all worthwhile
Read any and all Pearce's books- they are all worthwhile
November 13, 2015
Love this book. Gives such a thorough and thrilling tale on Wilde's life. Highly recommend this!
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