Produced by Jonathan Ingram, Martin Pettit and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net OSCAR WILDE A CRITICAL STUDY BY ARTHUR RANSOME LONDON MARTIN SECKER NUMBER FIVE JOHN STREET ADELPHI MCMXII [Illustration: Oscar Wilde. from the Painting by Harper Pennington now in the possession of Robert Ross. Esq.] _BY THE SAME AUTHOR_ BOHEMIA IN LONDON (Sketches and Essays), 1907 A HISTORY OF STORY-TELLING, 1909 EDGAR ALLAN POE, 1910 THE HOOFMARKS OF THE FAUN, 1911 ETC. Copyright reserved in all countries signatory to the Berne Convention. The copyright of this book in Russia is the property of the Scorpion Press, Moscow TO ROBERT ROSS NOTE I wish to thank Mr. Robert Ross, Wilde's literary executor, who has helped me in every possible way, allowed me to read many of the letters that Wilde addressed to him, and given much time out of a very busy life to the verification, from documents in his possession, of the biographical facts included in my book. I wish to thank Mr. Walter Ledger for much interesting information, and for the sight of many rare editions of Wilde's books that made possible the correction of several bibliographical errors into which I had fallen. I wish to thank Mr. Martin Secker for putting at my disposal his collection of late nineteenth-century literature. I wish to thank an anonymous author for lending me the proof-sheets of a forthcoming book, which will contain a full and accurate account of the legal proceedings for and against Wilde. Many of those who knew Wilde have helped me, by letter or in conversation, with valuable reminiscence. I would thank, particularly, M. Paul Fort, M. Remy de Gourmont, M. Stuart Merrill, and Mr. Reginald Turner. The texts of Wilde's books that I have used throughout are these: Messrs. Methuen's limited edition of the works, and the five shilling edition issued by the same firm; Mr. Charles Carrington's edition of _The Picture of Dorian Gray_; Mr. A. L. Humphreys' edition of _The Soul of Man under Socialism_; Mr. David Nutt's edition of _The Happy Prince and other Tales_. To these, as to the best, and in some cases the only, editions easily accessible, I must refer my readers. Much accurate observation is to be found in M. Andre Gide's "Oscar Wilde," published by the Mercure de France, and the result of much laborious and useful research is embodied in Mr. Stuart Mason's "Bibliography of the Poems of Oscar Wilde," published by Mr. Grant Richards. Permission to include many quotations has been granted by Messrs. Methuen and Co., and Mr. Robert Ross. CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTORY 13 BIOGRAPHICAL SUMMARY 27 POEMS 36 AESTHETICISM 59 MISCELLANEOUS PROSE 80 INTENTIONS 104 THE THEATRE 130 DISASTER 153 DE PROFUNDIS 157 1897-1900 178 AFTERTHOUGHT 201 I INTRODUCTORY