During his writing career, Oscar Wilde became known for his involvement in the rising philosophy of aestheticism. The opportunity to construct aesthetic details precisely, and combine them with larger social themes, drew Wilde to write drama. He started with philosophical dialogues and tragedies, and later moved on to comedies. Wilde produced several society comedies in the early 1890s, which made him one of the most successful playwrights of late-Victorian London. With these plays, he finally found a way to critique society on its own terms.

Table of Contents:

Vera

The Duchess of Padua

Lady Windermere's Fan

A Woman of No Importance

Salomé

Salome (English Version)

An Ideal Husband

The Importance of Being Earnest

La Sainte Courtisane

A Florentine Tragedy

For Love of the King

The Decay of Lying (A Dialogue)

The Critic as Artist (A Dialogue)