Oscar Wilde is a well known author, playwright, and poet from the late 1800’s. He is well known for his only novel The Picture of Dorian Gray as well as multiple plays such as The Importance of Being Earnest. However, he is also known for being a hedonistic homosexual that was imprisoned in Victorian England in 1895. Understanding his background is imperative to being able to uncover all the meaning in his works. Jane Wilde gave birth to Oscar Wilde on October 16, 1854 in Dublin, Ireland. His father was a renowned doctor that was also known for his philanthropy since he founded a hospital for the poor at his own expense. Wilde’s mother was a poet and linguist, and Wilde followed in her footsteps. Although he pursued the same profession as his mother, his father still had an important influence on him. Both of his parents had a large impact on the way that Wilde viewed the world. …show more content…
He had a love for reading as well as Greek and Roman studies. His intelligence was recognized and he was offered the Royal School Scholarship to Trinity College. In his first year at college, he won the highest honor that could be received in all four years as an undergraduate: the Foundation Scholarship. Wilde graduated in 1874 with the Berkeley Gold Medal for his studies in Greek and went on to continue his education at Magdalen College in Oxford. Wilde progressed in his studies as well as in his creative writing at college. He wrote a poem called “Ravenna” that “won the Newdigate Prize for the best English verse composition by an Oxford undergraduate” (“Oscar Wilde