THE INVENTION OF OSCAR WILDE

An exploration of Oscar Wilde’s intentional construction of a new persona.

In his latest book about Wilde, Frankel focuses on the author’s deliberate self-reinvention, predicated on a desire for fame. Frankel contends that Wilde’s time at Oxford marked the beginnings of the Wilde we know today. “Especially determined to make a name for himself as a poet,” he shortened his name and effected a new accent. Years later, he noted, “My Irish accent was one of the many things I forgot at Oxford.” Wilde moved to London and began identifying himself as English, becoming the object of satirical attack. Soon, he embarked on his famous North American lecture tour. “He was the first modern celebrity,” writes Frankel, “a transatlantic superstar whose self-created public image went before him, and his lecture tour went hand in hand with a media frenzy accompanying his every move.” Wilde’s eccentric appearance broke gender norms and presented a stark contrast to the “bearded or moustachioed” appearance that dominated the day. Regarding the experience overseas, Wilde noted “a greater openness than Britain in matters of gender and sexuality.” In 1884, Wilde married Constance Lloyd, a union that drew speculation and gossip. As Frankel contends, Wilde was becoming “increasingly willing to act on his desires for other men,” and his fiction “was becoming increasingly provocative.” Through a close examination of his literary works, Frankel notes similarities to Wilde’s personal life. The author also explores the circumstances that led to Wilde’s conviction on counts of gross indecency. While in prison, Wilde wrote a letter that would become “one of the most important and influential works of his life.” After his release, he assumed a pseudonym and exiled himself to France, where he again found greater acceptance. After Wilde’s death, his literary executor published excerpts from the letter, the first step in a long battle for public redemption.

This lively biography paints a colorful portrait of the writer as public relations master and trendsetter.