The Fall of the House of Wilde: Oscar Wilde and His Family

By Emer O'Sullivan

'Emer O'Sullivan has made an indispensable contribution to Wildean literature … Compelling, informative and fascinating' - Stephen Fry

The Fall of the House of Wilde identifies Oscar Wilde as a member of one of the most dazzling Anglo-Irish families of Victorian times and shows us how he was utterly his parents' child.
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Oscar Wilde's father – scientist, surgeon, archaeologist, writer – was one of the most eminent men of his generation. His mother – poet, journalist, translator – hosted an influential salon in Dublin's Merrion Square. Together they were one of Victorian Ireland's most dazzling and enlightened couples. When, in 1864, Sir William Wilde was accused of sexually assaulting a female patient, it sent shock waves through Dublin society. After his death ten years later, Jane attempted to re-establish the family in London, where Oscar burst irrepressibly upon the scene, only subsequently to fall in a trial as public as his father's.

A brilliantly perceptive family biography, The Fall of the House of Wilde is a major repositioning of our first modern celebrity, placing Wilde in the context of his own remarkable family and more broadly within Anglo-Irish society.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Release date: Jun 2, 2016
• ISBN: 9781408843581

Emer O'Sullivan

Emer O'Sullivan graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, and has completed an MA in Life Writing and a PhD in Virginia Woolf's literature at UEA, where she also lectured in English Literature. She is the author of The Fall of the House of Wilde and The Rebellion of a Dutiful Daughter. She lives in London.

Reviews for The Fall of the House of Wilde

[lynnb_64 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book has perhaps less about Oscar Wilde himself than most biographies because its focus is on Oscar's family and the cultural context he was raised in. The author did an good job of portraying Oscar's mother and brother in particular. However, I felt the author assumed that readers knew more about the social movements and artists of the time than most readers would. The book was educational, but not entertaining. Mostly, I was left with the feeling that I would not have wanted to be part of that society!