A Beginners Guide to Oscar Wilde

A Beginners Guide to Oscar Wilde Oscar Wilde would have celebrated his 159th birthday earlier this week. He is one of those writers who wrote a bit of everything, including poems, essays, childrens stories, plays like The Importance of Being Earnest,  and one single novel,  The Portrait of Dorian Gray.  Wilde was a victim of Victorian attitudes toward sexuality. He served two years in prison for the alleged crime of gross indecency with another man. His story is one that has resonated with  the artistic community for decades, and he is viewed by many as a pioneer in the struggle for gay rights. on the occasion of his 150th birthday, the first of the videos below was commissioned to pay tribute to the man both his writing and his life. Dont worry. I included some Monty Python, too. Im not going to let things get too serious. Happy Birthday Oscar Wilde [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCPGIZBNKP8[/youtube] BBC News Rupert Everett talks about playing Oscar Wilde   [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0B4bJQYdQQ[/youtube] Wilde (1997) Stephen Fry as Oscar Wilde Trial The love that dare not speak its name   [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwhYn-P7hLg[/youtube] Stephen Fry Series 2, Episode 2: Beauty of Soul of Oscar Wilde   [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBCKiWh85oA[/youtube] The Selfish Giant (from a story by Oscar Wilde) Animated Film   [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jtLTS7T8cc[/youtube] The Happy Prince Oscar Wilde Michael Mills Classic Animated Short (1974) [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Aank8bDtcE[/youtube] Writers (Wilde, Shaw) Monty Pythons Flying Circus [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxXW6tfl2Y0[/youtube] And while this is not a video, its one of the most interesting Oscar Wilde tidbits that has appeared on the internet in a long while, via The Toast. ____________________ Sign up for our newsletter  to have the best of Book Riot delivered straight to your inbox every week. No spam. We promise. To keep up with Book Riot on a daily basis,  follow us on Twitter,  like us  on Facebook,  and subscribe to the Book Riot podcast in  iTunes  or via  RSS.  So much bookish goodnessâ€"all day, every day.