Wild Things Project

-wild woman: The wild woman was seen hopping on the tables at the bar and kicking over everyone’s drinks as she danced around.

-wild man: Christopher was a wild man. He never stayed in any country for more than 2 consecutive weeks and loved to cliff dive.

-wild animal: The wild animal pranced around in a field of daisies, unknowing of the hunter hiding in the bushes nearby.

-wild beast: Provoked, the wild beast leaped towards the lost soldier and ferociously swiped at the man’s face with its sharp claws. 

-wild thing: Her poem was such a wild thing in her time. She portrayed themes of feminism and homosexuality when they were looked down upon in society.

-Vivian Nguyen

Oscar Wilde was an Irish poet born in 1854 part of the Victorian literary period and was known for being a spokesman for the new Aesthetic movement which encouraged “art for art’s sake” where people expressed what they viewed as pure beauty instead of being constrained by moral expectations of the time. His poems were primarily categorized in genres of drama, criticism, and epigram, and he was famously known for his play The Importance of Being Earnest as well as his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. At the time, Wilde was received very well because of his witty and flamboyant personality, and his plays were widely performed. However, in 1895 Wilde was exposed for having a homosexual affair with another man, was put on trial, and was arrested with charges of “gross indencency.” Wilde was imprisoned for two years and died from meningitis not long after at the age of 46. 

I believe that Wilde was a wild writer because even though he wrote about stories and topics that may have been controversial, he did not hold back from fully expressing himself. Wilde boldly wrote about homosexuality, lust, murder, and other topics which were seen as controversial at the time in his works. Furthermore, Wilde was able to express his opinion on larger social themes through his works despite criticism from others. For example, in the poem The Ballad of Reading Gaol, Wilde writes about a man who is executed for killing his own wife. Wilde goes into gruesome detail that “blood and wine were on his hands when they found him with the dead, the poor dead woman whom he loved…” He goes into further detail saying that “each man kills the thing he loves,” alluding to his own affair with Lord Alfred Douglas, and how his love for their relationship resulted in his imprisonment. 

In the story “The Good Lion”, wild is represented by the bad lions since, compared to the good lion, they don’t seem to care about others but themselves. “The other lions .. every day ate zebras and wildebeests and every kind of antelope. Sometimes .. people too. They ate Swahilis, Umbulus, and Wandorobos and they especially liked to eat Hindu traders.” The lions show how they were untamed, felt no restriction to doing whatever they pleased, and didn’t try to act a certain way even when their actions were hurting others. When the wickedest of all the lionesses told the good lion “I think I shall kill you and eat you, wings and all”, we see how wild the bad lions can really get since not only did they not care for eating people, but they didn’t care for eating one of their own. On the other hand, in the story “Where the Wild Things Are”, wild is represented by scary monsters, the wild things, and they “roar terrible roars and gnash their terrible teeth and roll their terrible eyes and show their terrible claws”. What makes them wild is the fact they are monsters and act as such but they don’t necessarily hurt anyone, instead, they make Max the king and proceed to have a “wild rumpus” which just goes back to being loud and monster-like but not hurtful like the lions. These stories are different because they each represent wild in a different way, “The Good Lion” represents wild as untamed and with no regard to consequences while “Where the Wild Things Are” represents wild as scary creatures but don’t act out of impulsion and are nice to those around them. Although both the lions and the wild things look like they would do wild actions, only the lions act this way.

Oscar Wilde was an Irish poet who was among the most popular playwrights in the early 1890s focusing on stories of drama, criticism, and epigram. He is best remembered for his novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray”, which I personally think is an outstanding book due to its originality and plot, and his criminal conviction for gross indecency for homosexual acts. Although he was considered a celebrity and many were fans of his work, he wasn’t accepted when the public found out about his interest and who he had discovered to be. At the present time, Wilde’s work is still being used and studied despite his conviction and why he was convicted, giving us an idea that he is better received today than he was back in his time. He is considered to be a controversial figure because although he was a family man, he was known to engage in homosexual acts and had a sculptured figure with large genitalia over his grave. I personally think he is a wild writer because he was not afraid to introduce new ideas even when he knew these wouldn’t be accepted by society. I like how he didn’t care for the outcome of his actions and would do what felt right for him without fear of what others would think of him.

In the poem “Her voice”, he writes ” Sweet, there is nothing left to say But this, that love is never lost,  ” which I think really highlights the type of person he was. He seems to be very passionate about love no matter who it is with but how they make you feel.

Oscar Wilde was an Irish poet and playwright who became very popular in London during the 1890s. He was a prominent figure in the aesthetic movement, which advocated for art’s value coming from its inherent beauty alone. His views on art as well as his style of dress were controversial and met with criticism by the press. The most controversial aspect of Wilde was his engagement in consensual homosexual acts, which was unearthed during Wilde’s prosecution of the Marquess of Queensbury for criminal libel. Wilde was put to trial and subsequently sentenced to hard labor for two years. The controversial perception of Wilde was largely a result of his actions not being widely accepted in the society of his time. His views on art were beyond the boundaries of what the mainstream press thought acceptable, so he was slandered by the media as a result. Wilde’s engagement in homosexual acts was not accepted by the predominant conservative culture of western Europe, resulting in harsh criminal penalties levied upon him. In today’s day, Oscar Wilde is seen as a trailblazer who published influential writings and unfortunately succumbed to the flawed morals of an outdated criminal justice system.

I consider Wilde to be a “wild” writer, especially in his poem “The Ballad of Reading Gaol,” which he wrote after enduring hard labor in prison. He describes the brutality he experienced and witnessed through imagery, such as “the sickening thirst That sands one’s throat” and the “blood and wine” that were found near “The poor dead woman.” He also details the labor that they needed to do, including tearing “the tarry rope to shreds With blunt and bleeding nails” whilst “terror was lying still” in “the heart of every man.” Wilde’s poem is wild due to its gruesome and horrifying depictions of the reality of prison conditions, and the bold stance he takes in speaking out against such conditions.

-Avinash K

Oscar Wilde was a notable Irish poet and playwright from the Aesthetic literary movement where the primary focus was aesthetics. He was unique in that his personality and writing went hand in hand when it came to public reception and interpretation. Thus, it is important to consider his life and biographical details when reading his work. Though he published many impressive poems and plays, his noteriority came from his imprisonment as it was a big scandal and he was shunned by his inner circle. Due to this, his works were not as celebrated as they were associated with his “sins.” Presently, Wilde is known as an important literary figure to study and many of his works are widely discussed. However, discussions regarding his double life and imprisonment are still occurring. 

His eccentric personality is reflected in many of his works making it sometimes difficult to separate the author from the piece. This is seen quite evidently with one of his last published works,  The Ballad of Reading Gaol which was written when he was in exile after being released from prison. The poem focuses on the hanging of a fellow inmate and Wilde focuses on the prisoner as well as imprisonment. As seen in the excerpt below, his focus was on the treatment of the prisoners and their punishments but he did not discuss the crimes or what led to this outcome. Throughout this poem, the emotions he was feeling while in prison expressed through metaphors and vivid imagery showcase his mental state. Wilde encompasses “wild” through his life but also in his writing as they reflect the whirlwind journey he followed that some deemed as controversial. 

“They hang us now in Shrewsbury jail:

    The whistles blow forlorn,

And trains all night groan on the rail

    To men that die at dawn.”

Oscar Wilde was a popular author, playwright, and poet in late Victorian England. He was a literary figure in the Victorian Era and belonged to the aesthetic and decadent literary movements. Wilde’s literary genres ranged from epigram to drama, from short story to criticism, and journalism. Back in the 19th century, Wilde did not have a good reputation as he was known for his wit, flamboyance, and his trials and jail sentence for homosexual acts. Oscar was alive a decade before the Sexual Offense Act of 1967 was passed in England, meaning homosexuality was still illegal in the country and something he had to serve time in jail for. The publicity of his private affairs caused him to be perceived as a controversial figure. However, people are way more accepting of different sexualities in the current time period, so Wilde’s work has resurfaced and is making another great impact on readers today who are not judging his personal life. I definitely think he is a wild author because of his courage and bravery to be himself and to put out such controversial work during a very close-minded time period.

Wilde was a controversial figure largely for his homosexuality and conviction of “gross indecency”. One of his poems, ‘The Ballad of Reading Gaol’, was inspired not only by his own incarceration in prison, but by the execution of a soldier for the murder of his wife. The repeated line, ‘Each man kills the thing he loves’, conveys a bigger metaphorical significance in the context of Wilde’s own life. This is a wild piece because it goes against the common notion that murderers are horrible people that deserve to be on death row for their crimes. Oscar Wilde takes the contrary approach throughout his poem by explaining the harsh brutality criminals face. Once again, he is successfully challenging society through his writing.

Katsiaryna Aliashkevich

Oscar Wilde, born October 16, 1854, was originally from Dublin, Ireland, but 46 years later in 1900 he passed away in Paris, France. Wilde appeared to be a spokesman for the late 19^th-century aesthetic movement and the Victorian era in England. He was popularly known for his wit, flamboyance, trials, and jail sentence for homosexual acts. He was raised by two very impressive individuals. His father was Ireland’s leading ear and eye surgeon while his mother was a revolutionary poet. Wilde eventually married and had 2 children named Cyril and Vyvyan. Wilde published his first and only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, which received brutal criticism as critiques believed Wilde was suggesting embracing sin and immorality, but now, his novels are studied often and considered a great classic. His novel was also considered a homoerotic text as it hinted to events happening in his own life. Wilde, after being married for many years, had an affair with another man ultimately ending his marriage. He later was involved in a case in which he was found guilty for charges of sodomy and gross indecency ultimately ending him up in jail. 

While Wilde was considered “wild” because of his controversial past regarding the affair with a man, many of his writings were considered “wild” for that time period as well. His last poem ever published, also one of his most successful, is The Ballad of Reading Gaol as it depicts his experience of cruelty prisons inflict on the inmates. Some lyrics include:

I walked, with other souls in pain,
  Within another ring,
And was wondering if the man had done
  A great or little thing,
When a voice behind me whispered low,
  “That fellow’s got to swing.“

Dear Christ! the very prison walls
  Suddenly seemed to reel,
And the sky above my head became
  Like a casque of scorching steel;
And, though I was a soul in pain,
  My pain I could not feel.

Here, Wilde is writing about the pain he felt in prison. This too was considered wild as no writer had ever revealed the cruelty of prison itself. The specific lyrics, “And, though I was a soul in pain, My pain I could not feel” hints at the fact that the crimes he committed in the outside were nothing compared to the pain he felt in the prison. 

• Audrey Wines

Born in 1854, Irish poet Oscar Wilde was a leader in promoting the literary Aestheticism movement. During this period, Wilde and other literary leaders reflected the Aestheticism belief that the many forms of art should solely give sensual pleasure as opposed to conveying moral, educational messages. Along with his strong leadership in embodying this ideal, Wilde was also known for his criminal conviction revolving around his homosexuality. For his deviating characteristics and beliefs on art and sexuality, Wilde was perceived as someone “larger than life” and very unusual compared to the “norm” expected from a poet and/or society member. Now, Wilde is widely appreciated for his diversion from his time’s expectations and his literary works have become well known. 

Wilde was a controversial figure significantly for his homosexuality and conviction of “gross indecency”. In the Victorian era in which he produced his works, it was very rare of a public literary figure to be homosexual, be a convict, and passionately communicate his beliefs in his writing. Looking at his writing that reflects these deviations, I perceive him as a “wild” writer. One of his pieces that stood out to me was the poem, “The Ballad of Reading Gaol”. Written in 1898 after his release from Reading Gaol Prison, the literary work describes the poet’s imprisonment and narrates the brutal hanging of inmate Charles Thomas Wooldridge. Wilde eerily describes the shameful death he witnesses, detailing the “noose about his neck”, the “cloth upon his face”, and the “dark disgrace”. Incorporating a darker element in his writing, Wilde takes on an uncommon approach to reflecting criminal punishments. Instead of looking down on those who have done wrong in society and viewing punishments as just, the poet expresses the grim brutality of the punishments that criminals face. Furthermore, Wilde states that “each man kills the thing he loves” and does wrong, yet not everyone dies this brutal death. This stance is wild in that it goes against the common ideal that criminals are bad and deserve the punishments they receive for their wrongdoings- people who stay out of the criminal system are good and deserve better than those in jail. By wildly presenting a work that was seen as “out of the ordinary” and controversial during this time, the poet lives up to his last name and challenges society through his literary art.

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45495/the-ballad-of-reading-gaol

Vivian Nguyen