Wildes personal life
mother was a nationalist poet, father was an ear and eye surgeon
went to Oxford where he helped found the Aesthetic Movement (‘art for arts sake’)
1895 - convicted of homosexuality
Irish poet and playwright
editor of The Womans World
Victorian Morals
valued wealth, power and influence
while in public the upper classes valued morals highly , in private they were often ignored in favor of power and influence
Victorian Gentlemen
powerful, well educated men
The Dandy
- Wilde was a dandy
- dress flamboyantly and paid attention to fashion
- believed life was to be enjoyed and you should admire beautiful things
- stand for nothing in particular
Victorian Society
very particular rules for polite behavior
Victorians were responsible for making ideal societies and systems, it is inevitable they would also try to make ideal men and women
men = public sphere, women = domestic sphere
arranged marriages were common among the upper classes
upper classes looked down on the poorer classes
The New Woman
- feminist ideal that first emerged in the 19th century
- described by Henry James as a woman who wanted to live an independent, educated, career based lifestyle
- Suffragettes Movement of the 19th century
- wanted autonomy
- many white middle class women were gaining new property rights and the rights to attend uni and become lawyers, doctors, etc
Women in Victorian Society
Expectations:
the angel in the house
devoted mothers
polite and charming
incorruptibly good
Rights:
no right to vote
chances for career and education prospects limited
all assets in the husbands name
