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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. Who is the central character in Oscar Wilde's play "Salome"?

2. Why was Oscar Wilde arrested?

3. How much did Oscar Wilde earn from the production of "Lady Windermere's Fan"?

4. Where did Oscar Wilde travel after he was released from Reading jail?

5. What did Oscar Wilde discover that his lover was trying to do to him?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why was Oscar Wilde's play "Salome" censored?

2. How do the people of Paris receive Oscar Wilde in 1891?

3. How do Oscar Wilde's aesthetics develop during his time in Paris in 1891?

4. How does Lord Alfred Douglas try to help Oscar Wilde while Wilde is in prison?

5. How did Lord Alfred Douglas' father feel about his son's relationship with Oscar Wilde?

6. What is the plot of Oscar Wilde's novel, "The Picture of Dorian Gray"?

7. How did the English see the crime of sodomy?

8. Describe the conditions under which Oscar Wilde was writing "The Importance of Being Earnest."

9. What happens to Oscar Wilde when he goes to prison?

10. What relationships does Oscar Wilde resume after leaving prison?

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

Did dying change anything about Oscar Wilde? Did he look at his life with regrets? Did he look back with pride on his work and his actions? Was he proud of his legacy?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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