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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. What did Oscar Wilde's lover do to change Wilde's mind before the first trial?

2. Why was Oscar Wilde arrested?

3. How did Oscar Wilde alienate people?

4. What was the punishment for homosexuality in England in the late 1800s?

5. What disturbing scene does Oscar Wilde witness before leaving Reading jail?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What happened when Oscar Wilde sued his lover's father, Lord Queensberry, for libel?

3. Why does Oscar Wilde refuse to flee from England to Paris?

4. Where does Oscar Wilde go after he is released from prison?

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

6. How is "The Picture of Dorian Gray" seen as a work about homosexuality?

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

8. What was the outcome of Oscar Wilde's lawsuit against his lover's father, Lord Queensberry?

9. Why did Lord Alfred Douglas' parents refuse to press charges against Oscar Wilde?

10. How do conditions change for Oscar Wilde when Major Nelson takes over at Reading jail?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe Oscar Wilde's career as a playwright. What kind of plays did he write? What are his plays' themes? Choose three of his plays and describe what they tell us about Wilde's development as a playwright. How do his style and themes change over time?

Essay Topic 2

Oscar Wilde came into prominence as a friend and opponent of James McNeill Whistler. Describe how Oscar Wilde used controversy and debate and personal invective to his own purposes. What does Wilde gain from his contests, with Whistler and other critics, and then with the Marquis of Queensberry--as a person? What does he gain as a public personality?

Essay Topic 3

Oscar Wilde stated that the work of art requires the destruction of previous works of art. How did he practice this theory in his own art? Can his public persona be considered the work of art that destroyed his plays and poems and his novel?

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