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Ellmann for Dummies
"UNMASKING" CRAPOLA...
an essential
The author is maybe a little too forgiving, but thorough...
A valuable second opinion on Wilde's life

The Unmasking of Oscar Wilde
Joseph Pearce
Manufacturer: Ignatius Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1586170260

Book Description

Vilified by fellow Victorians for his sexuality and his dandyism, Oscar Wilde, the great poet, satirist and playwright, is hailed today, in some circles, as a "progressive" sexual liberator. But this is not how Wilde saw himself. His actions and pretensions did not bring him happiness and fulfillment. This study of Wilde's brilliant and tragic life goes beyond the mistakes that brought him notoriety in order to explore this emotional and spiritual search.

Unlike any other biography of Wilde, it strips away these pretensions to show the real man, his aspirations and desires. It uncovers how he was broken by his two-year prison sentence; it probes the deeper thinking behind masterpieces such as The Picture of Dorian Gray and "De Profundis"; and it traces his fascination with Catholicism through to his eleventh-hour conversion.

Published on the 150th anniversary of his birth, this biography removes the masks which have confused previous biographers and reveals the real Wilde beneath the surface. Once again, Joseph Pearce has written a profound, wide-ranging study with many original insights on a great literary figure.

Customer Reviews:

Ellmann for Dummies.......2006-10-16

Pearce begins his book pompously: "I am convinced that [this book] penetrates to the very core of its subject." Yet, rather than provide insight into Wilde as Pearce claims, the book is only the Reader's Digest version of Ellmann's biography. If you are short on time and want an overview of Wilde's life and work, you could do worse. Just don't expect perceptive analysis.

"UNMASKING" CRAPOLA..........2006-07-04

Joe Pearce's so-called "unmasking of Wilde" is nothing more than a gambit to capitalize on the popularity of Wildean scholarship--firstly rushed to publication in 2000 at the centenary of Wilde's death; then reissued in 2004 at the 150th anniversary of Oscar's birth. The book is a bogus rip-off of Ellmann and Hyde, simplified for simpletons at a junior high school reading level. Pearce denigrates Ellmann's magnum opus while quoting from it continuously; he quotes from Hyde without even commenting on his great work. (Yes, Ellmann died just prior to publication of his Oscar Wilde, so there were a couple of mistakes in it; however, Horst Schroeder has corrected all these in his Additions and Corrections to Ellmann's Wilde. End of story.)

For a really insightful vision of Wildean literary criticism in a Christian vein, seek:
The Moral Vision of Oscar Wilde by Philip K. Cohen.

Pearce's tripe is a waste of time and money.

an essential.......2005-12-12

There seem to be two types of Oscar Wilde biographies. One, treats him like a sexual martyr and hardly gets into his huge talents at all. The other talks only about his career and treats the episode with Lord Alfred Douglass like a spot on an otherwise pristine carpet. Jospeh Pearce refuses to take either path. He looks at Oscar Wilde, the man, the artist and the broken soul. Wilde had some ideas about himself and was like Herod, fascinated by religion but was unable to stir himself to change. He a genius and was spoiled, pampered and protected by his class and talent but that left him totally unprepared for a brute of a man like the Marquiss of Queensbury.

Pearce is gentle with Wilde but he doesn't excuse him. Wilde failed his wife and his sons miserably and the nameless, faceless rent boys of London weren't just props, they were shabbily used human beings. Pearce makes this all clear but he also discusses the hope of Wilde's life, his last minute conversion. Give this well written book a try. It is a completely different and fresh look at Oscar Wilde.

The author is maybe a little too forgiving, but thorough..........2004-12-10

Before reading this biography all I knew about Oscar Wilde was that he was oversexed and the author of The Picture of Dorian Gray. Joseph Peace does a good job of revealing Wilde's upbringing, studies, and career. In fact I am now reading and pondering other works of Wilde's like, De Profundis.

The author seems harsh to Wilde's lovers and most forgiving of the "Wilde Life." The book paints a picture of Oscar Wilde as a gifted artist who, as his life progressed, became a moral degenirate and a drunkard, in that order. Wilde apparently felt and even expressed remorse, but seemed incapable of acting on it. Yes, "We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." But, that said, Oscar Wilde was predatory in his pursuit of and obsession with younger men. As Pearce points out, Wilde's sin destroyed his family and destroyed him. Wilde died almost friendless and a pauper. Wilde didn't seem so much interested in love as he did in pleasure. What Wilde expressed on paper he was not capable of in himself. The book is an interesting study of the decadent movement of the 19th century in art and literature, and will open the reader up to lesser known writers and artists, who were Wilde's contemporaries. Pearce does make the reader feel sad for Wilde as he was brilliantly talented, but morally a train wreck. Over all, not a bad read and a good introduction to the life of Oscar Wilde.

A valuable second opinion on Wilde's life.......2002-02-04

This very readable book is very useful corrective to what's become the "standard" view of Wilde. It's especially good at exposing the weaknesses of Richard Ellman's now-standard biography of Wilde. For example, the claim that Wilde contracted (and later died of) syphillis is pretty much taken apart by Pearce.

Pearce has also very closely read Wilde's works, so he offers some very valuable readings of Wilde's writing in order to better understand Wilde's inner life--a life, according to Pearce, that was marked by inner loathing and a self-rebuffed desire to embrace the Church.

Ellman's book remains the standard biography in terms of prose quality (Ellman wrote with uncommon beauty and grace, and Ellman's enthusiasm for Wilde's work and personality is truly infectious). However, Pearce's book really should be must reading for all fans of Wilde's work. It doesn't merely trot out all the old information and anecdotes, but actually offers a fresh view of Wilde.

El retrato de Oscar Wilde: el lobby gay anglosajón trata de instrumentalizar su historia para convertirlo en un icono. Pero una reciente biografía muestra ... de libro): An article from: Epoca

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El retrato de Oscar Wilde: el lobby gay anglosajón trata de instrumentalizar su historia para convertirlo en un icono. Pero una reciente biografía muestra ... de libro): An article from: Epoca
Alfonso Basallo
Manufacturer: Difusora de Informacion Periodica, S.A. (DINPESA)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B00084H6BE
Release Date: 2005-08-01

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Epoca, published by Difusora de Informacion Periodica, S.A. (DINPESA) on October 8, 2004. The length of the article is 1690 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: El retrato de Oscar Wilde: el lobby gay anglosajón trata de instrumentalizar su historia para convertirlo en un icono. Pero una reciente biografía muestra el verdadero rostro del escritor, de cuyo nacimiento se cumplen ahora 150 años.(Reseña de libro)
Author: Alfonso Basallo
Publication: Epoca (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 8, 2004
Publisher: Difusora de Informacion Periodica, S.A. (DINPESA)
Issue: 1021 Page: 52(5)

Article Type: Reseña de libro

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The Unmasking of Oscar Wilde
Joseph Pearce
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishers Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O8QEYO

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