Mention the name Oscar Wilde, and a few standard associations leap to mind: brilliant wit, peacock feathers, "the love that dared not speak its name," Reading Gaol, a tragic early death. These customary images, however, give no hint of the scope of Wilde's extraordinary literary achievement, or of the bewildering complexity of his character. Through careful investigation of Wilde's works and erratic life, Louise Kronenberger has fashioned a vivid, convincingly whole portrait of the archetype of fin de siècle decadence. Oscar Wilde's incomparable wit, inspired writing, and self-induced martyrdom gave the 1890s "contemporary glitter and a lasting tarnish." By identifying and tracing the major threads of his character -- theatricality, enchantment with evil, and defiant homosexuality -- Louise Kronenberger has fixed the fascination this elusive personality has held for generations. -- From publisher's description.