The Fall of the House of Wilde
Oscar Wilde and His Family
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The Fall of the House of Wilde
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Narrated by:
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John Telfer
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By:
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Emer O'Sullivan
About this listen
Oscar Wilde owed his most outstanding characteristics - his precocious intellectualism, his flamboyance, his hedonism, his recklessness, his pride, his sense of superiority, his liberal sexual values - to his parents.
Oscar's mother, Lady Jane Wilde, rose to prominence as a political journalist, advocating in 1848 a rebellion against colonialism. Proud, involved and challenging, she became a salon hostess and opened the Wildes' Dublin home at No. 1 Merrion Square to the public. Known as the most scintillating and stirring hostess of her day, she passed on her infectious delight in the art of living to Oscar, who imbibed it greedily.
His father was Sir William Wilde, one of the most eminent men of his generation. Acutely conscious of injustices in the social order, Sir William laid the foundations for the Celtic renaissance in the belief that culture would establish a common ground between the privileged and the poor, Protestant and Catholic. But Sir William was also a philanderer, and when he stood accused of sexually assaulting a young female patient, the scandal and trial sent shock waves through Dublin society.
After his father's death, the Wildes moved to London, where Oscar burst irrepressibly upon the scene. The one role that didn't suit him was that of the Victorian husband, as his wife, Constance, was to discover. For beneath the swelling forehead was a self-destructive itch: a lifelong devourer of attention, Oscar was unable to recognise when the party was over.
The Fall of the House of Wilde for the first time places Oscar Wilde as a member of one of the most dazzling Anglo-Irish families of Victorian times and in the broader social, political and religious context. A remarkable and perceptive account, this is a major repositioning of our first modern celebrity, a man whose own fall from grace in a trial as public as his father's marked the end of fin de siècle decadence.
©2016 Emer O'Sullivan (P)2016 Audible, LtdListeners also enjoyed...
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Campesque
- 29-01-18
Intelligent and thought provoking.
Oscar Wilde is a name familiar to most of us. It immediately calls to mind his clever, satirical drawing room comedies, holding a mirror up to the pretentions and hypocrisies of late Victorian society. Most of us are also aware of his homosexuality, in an age when this kind of love was seen in the eyes of the law as almost equivalent to the taking of another human life.
I knew absolutely nothing about where Oscar came from, or the family that shaped him. This book tells the story of Oscar and the family he was born into. His clever father, a doctor, antiquarian, and amateur archaeologist; his intellectual, free-thinking, devoted mother; and his sometimes-charming alcoholic brother.
This book tells the story of their lives and the ultimate self-destructive impulse that coloured the lives of Oscar and his brother. The true hero of the tale is Oscar's mother. An independent minded, inspirational woman of her time.
The author also provides intelligent interpretations and critiques of Oscar's work.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Seayeaitch
- 02-07-18
“The sentiment of love does not lend itself to rational explanations”
A beautifully rendered story covering the rise and fall of the Wilde’s brought to life by the reader John Telfer who guides you through the tribulations. Emer O’Sullivan research and writing abilities present the intellectual pondering and thoughts of Oscar in a sympathetic manner that enables the reader to appreciate the genius of Wilde whose wit and nature where the precursor f the liberty we now enjoy and as time progresses we will take for granted a great listen for those that want to know and understand the the great Oscar Wilde.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 25-05-18
Outstanding
This is a must for anyone with an interest in Wilde.
So much of Oscar was inherited from his remarkable parents whose stories are criminally forgotten.
The narration is excellent, the history comprehensive.
You won’t regret buying this because of the books quality... but shame on Audible for their scandalously high prices.
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