Few writers have managed to remain world famous without the support of the schools. Oscar Wilde is one of them. Not generally regarded by academics as major or important, Wilde's work has figured very little in the teaching of English literature. Often set down by critics and professors as a "dated" author, this exemplar of the era of decadence, of fin de siècle aestheticism, must have been something more than that: neither the work nor the image of the man has lost its appeal. Both, indeed, have survived profound social changes and numerous, often radical shifts in literary culture and fashion, most of them inimical to Wilde's devotion to formal structures, erudite allusiveness, and aristocratic wit and elegance. The simple fact is that Wilde has continued to be acclaimed by a large segment of the educated public and by many writers--and other artists--that is, by people...