The Unmasking of Oscar Wilde, by Joseph Pearce
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The Unmasking of Oscar Wilde, by Joseph Pearce
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Vilified by fellow Victorians for his sexuality and his dandyism, Oscar Wilde, the great poet, satirist and playwright, is hailed today, in some circles, as a "progressive" sexual liberator. But this is not how Wilde saw himself. His actions and pretensions did not bring him happiness and fulfillment. This study of Wilde's brilliant and tragic life goes beyond the mistakes that brought him notoriety in order to explore this emotional and spiritual search. Unlike any other biography of Wilde, it strips away these pretensions to show the real man, his aspirations and desires. It uncovers how he was broken by his two-year prison sentence; it probes the deeper thinking behind masterpieces such as The Picture of Dorian Gray, Salome, “The Ballad of Reading Gaol” and “De Profundis”; and it traces his fascination with Catholicism through to his eleventh-hour conversion. Published on the 150th anniversary of his birth, this biography removes the masks which have confused previous biographers and reveals the real Wilde beneath the surface. Once again, Joseph Pearce has written a profound, wide-ranging study with many original insights on a great literary figure.
"A brilliant interpretive biography of a wit, bon vivant and literary genius who still delights us a century after his death. I have read many of the other books on Wilde, and this is my favorite."— Ron Hansen, New York Times Best-selling Author of Mariette in Ecstasy
"Chesterton, Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and now Oscar Wilde have all been coaxed out of their graves for us by this grave-robber named Pearce. Oscar proves to be a very lively ghost." — Peter Kreeft, PhD, Professor of Philosophy, Boston College
The Unmasking of Oscar Wilde, by Joseph Pearce- Amazon Sales Rank: #2217961 in Books
- Published on: 2015-06-22
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 1.10" h x 5.20" w x 7.90" l, .95 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 400 pages
Review "Here is the journey of a soul, one who frequently teetered on the brink of damnation, and at times courted it. Beautifully written, and in its own right a work of wit and wisdom." --Michael O'Brien, Author, Father Elijah: An Apocalypse"Pearce takes on Wilde's most eminent biographers and critics, and turns with his bravura prose our attention away from the prurient, and on to Wilde's achievement." --Thomas Howard, Author, Dove Descending: A Journey into T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets"Pearce not only reveals Wilde as we have never seen him, but reveals himself as a master of biography." --Dale Ahlquist, Author, G.K. Chesterton: The Apostle of Common Sense
From the Publisher In his new book, Joseph Pearce asserts that the great poet, satirist, and playwright Oscar Wilde is as misunderstood today as he was in his own time. Vilified by his fellow Victorians for his sexuality and dandyism, these days he is hailed as a sexual liberator. Yet this is not how Wilde saw himself. His lifestyle and pretenses did not bring him happiness and fulfillment: his art did. And this is where Pearce's search for the man behind the masks is centered. Rather than lingering on the actions that brought him notoriety, Joseph Pearce explores the emotional and spiritual search of this fascinating and complex figure. The Unmasking of Oscar Wilde reveals how his "heart of stone" was broken by his two-year prison sentence, while it probes the deeper implications of his masterpieces. Along with a discussion of The Ballad of Reading Gaol and the posthumously published De Profundis, it also traces his fascination with Catholicism through to his eleventh-hour conversion.
About the Author
Joseph Pearce is the acclaimed author of numerous literary biographies including Tolkien: Man and Myth, G.K. Chesterton: Wisdom and Innocence, Literary Converts and Catholic Literary Giants.
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Most helpful customer reviews
98 of 108 people found the following review helpful. A valuable second opinion on Wilde's life By Boson This very readable book is very useful corrective to what's become the "standard" view of Wilde. It's especially good at exposing the weaknesses of Richard Ellman's now-standard biography of Wilde. For example, the claim that Wilde contracted (and later died of) syphillis is pretty much taken apart by Pearce.Pearce has also very closely read Wilde's works, so he offers some very valuable readings of Wilde's writing in order to better understand Wilde's inner life--a life, according to Pearce, that was marked by inner loathing and a self-rebuffed desire to embrace the Church.Ellman's book remains the standard biography in terms of prose quality (Ellman wrote with uncommon beauty and grace, and Ellman's enthusiasm for Wilde's work and personality is truly infectious). However, Pearce's book really should be must reading for all fans of Wilde's work. It doesn't merely trot out all the old information and anecdotes, but actually offers a fresh view of Wilde.
47 of 50 people found the following review helpful. an essential By Amazon Customer There seem to be two types of Oscar Wilde biographies. One, treats him like a sexual martyr and hardly gets into his huge talents at all. The other talks only about his career and treats the episode with Lord Alfred Douglass like a spot on an otherwise pristine carpet. Jospeh Pearce refuses to take either path. He looks at Oscar Wilde, the man, the artist and the broken soul. Wilde had some ideas about himself and was like Herod, fascinated by religion but was unable to stir himself to change. He a genius and was spoiled, pampered and protected by his class and talent but that left him totally unprepared for a brute of a man like the Marquiss of Queensbury.Pearce is gentle with Wilde but he doesn't excuse him. Wilde failed his wife and his sons miserably and the nameless, faceless rent boys of London weren't just props, they were shabbily used human beings. Pearce makes this all clear but he also discusses the hope of Wilde's life, his last minute conversion. Give this well written book a try. It is a completely different and fresh look at Oscar Wilde.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Oscar was definitely his mother's son By Clare As school-teachers wisely say, "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree." Pearce does both Oscar Wilde and us readers a favor by starting this book with a discussion of Wilde's nut-job mother. Talk about wearing a mask! The woman clearly was a fake through and through, and her stubborn refusal to look in a mirror (metaphorically speaking) and honestly acknowledge who and what she was is a flaw that she obviously taught her son. If he had been raised by different parents, would we even be having this discussion?Not five stars, however, because throughout the author keeps making maddening attempts to be precious, inserting wannabe-witticisms into the text almost as if he's trying unsuccessfully to write like Wilde himself. (Catholic author George Rutler does the same sort of thing, although Rutler's far worse.) I kept tripping over Pearce's attempted cleverness, because it detracts from the narrative--it's kind of like trying to look through a very dirty window, when you can't help focusing your eyes more on the glass than on the view outside. E.g., "Art for art's sake is only an agnostic substitute for art for God's sake" (214). Huh? Well, maybe so, but I was constantly forced to stop and re-read these sorts of clever lines several times, a frustrating interruption of an otherwise fascinating story.
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