Known for his biting wit, flamboyant style, and fascinating
conversation, he was a sought after dinner guest and the toast of society.
Following the social norms of the day, he married Constance
Lloyd, the very wealthy daughter of a powerful Queen's Counsel.
Together the couple had two sons.
As Wilde's career and social life flourished, he became more confident in his own sexuality, and began to seek the company of men.
As Wilde's career and social life flourished, he became more confident in his own sexuality, and began to seek the company of men.
His fall from grace was swift and harsh. The laws
prohibiting homosexuality in Victorian England were uncompromising, and Wilde
was tried for "indecent behavior" and sentenced to two years of hard
labor.
During this time he suffered derision, cruel deprivation,
and injuries which would lead to an early death. He also experienced deep
introspection which led to his final work, DeProfundis.
To regret one's own experiences is to arrest one's own development.
To deny one's own experiences is to put a lie into the lips of one's own life.
It is no less than a denial of the soul.
