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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does Oscar Wilde resist converting to Catholicism?

2. What does Oscar Wilde encourage Lillie Langtry to do?

3. How does Oscar Wilde achieve fame?

4. Who is Oscar Wilde's primary love interest at Oxford?

5. When does Oscar Wilde marry?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Oscar Wilde do when he lost his University Demyship?

2. What is Oscar Wilde's father's profession, and what are his political views?

3. Why was Oscar Wilde's personality so well-suited to be parodied in the theatre?

4. With whom does Oscar Wilde visit Rome in 1875?

5. What was Oscar Wilde like as a young boy?

6. What does Oscar Wilde do for work after he gives up lecturing?

7. Where does Oscar Wilde move after graduating from Oxford?

8. What is memorable about Oscar Wilde's stop in Leadville, Colorado?

9. How are Oscar Wilde's lectures received in America?

10. What is Wilde's experience in Paris?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Oscar Wilde was always extravagant with his money. How does his extravagance fit with his brief, epigrammatic literary style? Is there an aesthetic that unites these two aspects of his personality, or are they simply different sides of the writer's life?

Essay Topic 2

Oscar Wilde spent a considerable amount of time in Paris. Describe how he was treated differently in Paris than in England. Where was he most at home? Where were his ideas most accepted? How were England and France different for Wilde? What could he do in France that he could not do in England?

Essay Topic 3

Describe Oscar Wilde's role as an art critic. What did he see as the critic's role in the art world? How did he perform that role himself? Was he consistent with his own prescription?

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