Wilde at Heart

Oscar Wilde

My theme is one I have always wanted to learn a little more about and become much more comfortable with. Although I love most poetry I read, the poetry of Oscar Wilde in particular I both adore and despise. Certain poems such as The Ballad of Reading Gaol (found here!) seemed so long and droning to me as a student reading them for class, however poems such as Apologia (found here!) we much more moving to me and understandable to me yet they follow nearly the same format and have the same style. 

Here I will be analyzing the poetry of Oscar Wilde, specifically the many factors that make his poetry and his style so endearing to so many people. What parts of his life brought about what poetry? what life events influenced his style or topics? Are there any specific styles associated with times in his life or topics? What styles and topics appeal to what type of reader or what generation of reader even? All of these things I hope to tackle in this short time here on this tiny blog, as well as learn more about a poet who I have very conflicting feelings about. 

This theme is meant to challenge me as well as inspire me. Although I do have strong dislike for certain poems of his, I also have a deep love for others, and this makes me very determined and curious into the reasons behind it, whether it is a specific difference in them, or even perhaps an audience issue ( am I not the intended audience?). Either way I am very interested to find out as much as I can about the endearing and perhaps very risque poet and playwright Oscar Wilde. 

-KT