THE PARADOX OF OSCAR WILDE

This purports to be not a biography but a serious study of Wilde's works based on the theory of his split personality --that split out of which came the wit, the paradox, the fantasy, the occasional deep tenderness of one of England's most scintillating second line writers. Lack of deeply rooted literary background and sound critical understanding seem evident in what is, bluntly speaking, dull reading about a ""pagan and Christian"" -- ""a playboy and prophet"". Every facet of Wilde's life was extravagant. His works cannot be measured by heavy-handed analysis. This book fails to add anything new to Wilde criticism.