This is a letter Oscar Wilde wrote to Lord Alfred Douglas (Bosie) in which he laments the death of his mother while he was in prison. Wilde says, as ill as his wife was, she traveled from Genoa to England, to tell him personally of his mother's death.
Two things seem evident from Wilde's writing. First, he takes the blame for his situation (..."I ruined myself..."). He admits that he allowed pleasure to dominate his actions. Second, he seems devastated by his inability to interact with others. Probably the hardest thing about being in prison was his isolation. It seems that Wilde was most brilliant when he was bouncing thoughts or barbs in the company of others.
Looking into the particulars of Wilde's imprisonment, I found out that Wilde was in multiple prisons. At first, he was assigned hard labor. When he didn't complete tasks, he was punished. He was fortunate to have (finally) been assigned to a forward-thinking prison warden who allowed Wilde to write this missive one page at a time. I'm sure the writing exercise was cathartic for Wilde.
In this letter, being bankrupt and without work weigh heavily on Wilde's mind. He's not sure what response he will get after prison. He talks about writing again, but it sounds hollow (as if he doesn't believe his own words.
Christ dominates the last portion of the letter. Wilde talks about being bitter if he was released early. However, because he had to stay the full length, he said he had the time to reflect further and he feels that he got beyond his bitterness and despair.
Two things seem evident from Wilde's writing. First, he takes the blame for his situation (..."I ruined myself..."). He admits that he allowed pleasure to dominate his actions. Second, he seems devastated by his inability to interact with others. Probably the hardest thing about being in prison was his isolation. It seems that Wilde was most brilliant when he was bouncing thoughts or barbs in the company of others.
Looking into the particulars of Wilde's imprisonment, I found out that Wilde was in multiple prisons. At first, he was assigned hard labor. When he didn't complete tasks, he was punished. He was fortunate to have (finally) been assigned to a forward-thinking prison warden who allowed Wilde to write this missive one page at a time. I'm sure the writing exercise was cathartic for Wilde.
In this letter, being bankrupt and without work weigh heavily on Wilde's mind. He's not sure what response he will get after prison. He talks about writing again, but it sounds hollow (as if he doesn't believe his own words.
Christ dominates the last portion of the letter. Wilde talks about being bitter if he was released early. However, because he had to stay the full length, he said he had the time to reflect further and he feels that he got beyond his bitterness and despair.
