Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde

This was revolutionary at the time. If you are interested in LGBT history or love reading Wilde's words -- and who wouldn't want more pithy Wilde? -- this is worth reading, though academics have done more about the role of the three Oscar Wilde trials in society. There are some thought-provoking parts of this when it comes to the philosophy of art, though they go by quickly in the dialogue, and perhaps are more accessible when performed onstage.

An interesting bit of minutiae, where the play centers almost exclusively on the trial, which removes a lot of the interesting details of Wilde's life and relationships as his situation deteriorated. The author announces he is using a Brechian style, but he is a bit heavy handed with this, and perhaps should have been a bit less Brechtian and looked for his own style. It is too obvious. Overall, an interesting work, but there are other works on this topic that are better.

Filed with Oscar Wilde books