The Ballad of Reading Gaol and De Profundis

"The Ballad of Reading Gaol and De Profundis" collects together some of Oscar Wilde's most important writings during and concerning his two-year-long incarceration for "gross indecency". In the words of Oscar Wilde, we see his recognition for the part that he plays in his own downfall. While he never directly admits to his crimes, numerous contemporary witnesses seem to validate the charges against him. Yet Wilde could have avoided his fate if he had not chosen to sue the Marquess of Queensberry for libel. The harsh experience of prison life is recounted in these works with sensitivity towards reform. As a person of a weaker constitution, it is believed that Wilde's prison infirmities may have contributed to his decline and death just a few years after his release. In "The Ballad of Reading Gaol", the last work published before Wilde's death, we have an eloquent and sensitive concern for the insufferable conditions of prison life juxtaposed with the execution of a man convicted of killing his wife. The 1926 edition of "De Profundis" is presented here with introductory matter by Wilde's literary executor, Robbie Ross, and several of Wilde's letters from prison that were collected in that edition. Together these works give the reader an intimate picture of the writer at the most trying point of his life and the spiritual awakening that it produced. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.

"1143218746"
The Ballad of Reading Gaol and De Profundis

"The Ballad of Reading Gaol and De Profundis" collects together some of Oscar Wilde's most important writings during and concerning his two-year-long incarceration for "gross indecency". In the words of Oscar Wilde, we see his recognition for the part that he plays in his own downfall. While he never directly admits to his crimes, numerous contemporary witnesses seem to validate the charges against him. Yet Wilde could have avoided his fate if he had not chosen to sue the Marquess of Queensberry for libel. The harsh experience of prison life is recounted in these works with sensitivity towards reform. As a person of a weaker constitution, it is believed that Wilde's prison infirmities may have contributed to his decline and death just a few years after his release. In "The Ballad of Reading Gaol", the last work published before Wilde's death, we have an eloquent and sensitive concern for the insufferable conditions of prison life juxtaposed with the execution of a man convicted of killing his wife. The 1926 edition of "De Profundis" is presented here with introductory matter by Wilde's literary executor, Robbie Ross, and several of Wilde's letters from prison that were collected in that edition. Together these works give the reader an intimate picture of the writer at the most trying point of his life and the spiritual awakening that it produced. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.

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The Ballad of Reading Gaol and De Profundis

The Ballad of Reading Gaol and De Profundis

by Oscar Wilde
The Ballad of Reading Gaol and De Profundis

The Ballad of Reading Gaol and De Profundis

by Oscar Wilde

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Overview

"The Ballad of Reading Gaol and De Profundis" collects together some of Oscar Wilde's most important writings during and concerning his two-year-long incarceration for "gross indecency". In the words of Oscar Wilde, we see his recognition for the part that he plays in his own downfall. While he never directly admits to his crimes, numerous contemporary witnesses seem to validate the charges against him. Yet Wilde could have avoided his fate if he had not chosen to sue the Marquess of Queensberry for libel. The harsh experience of prison life is recounted in these works with sensitivity towards reform. As a person of a weaker constitution, it is believed that Wilde's prison infirmities may have contributed to his decline and death just a few years after his release. In "The Ballad of Reading Gaol", the last work published before Wilde's death, we have an eloquent and sensitive concern for the insufferable conditions of prison life juxtaposed with the execution of a man convicted of killing his wife. The 1926 edition of "De Profundis" is presented here with introductory matter by Wilde's literary executor, Robbie Ross, and several of Wilde's letters from prison that were collected in that edition. Together these works give the reader an intimate picture of the writer at the most trying point of his life and the spiritual awakening that it produced. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781420981827
Publisher: Digireads.com
Publication date: 03/08/2023
Pages: 88
Sales rank: 680,225
Product dimensions: 5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.21(d)

About the Author

About The Author

The ever-quotable Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was an Irish playwright, novelist, essayist, and poet who delighted Victorian England with his legendary wit. He found critical and popular success with his scintillating plays, chiefly The Importance of Being Earnest, while his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, scandalized readers. Imprisoned for two years for homosexual behavior, Wilde moved to France after his release, where he died destitute.

Date of Birth:

October 16, 1854

Date of Death:

November 30, 1900

Place of Birth:

Dublin, Ireland

Place of Death:

Paris, France

Education:

The Royal School in Enniskillen, Dublin, 1864; Trinity College, Dublin, 1871; Magdalen College, Oxford, England, 1874
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