The Manuscripts of Oscar Wilde
Encyclopedia
The original manuscripts of Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...

today reside in many collections, including the British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...

. By far the largest and most comprehensive is to be found at the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library
William Andrews Clark Memorial Library
The William Andrews Clark Memorial Library , one of twelve official libraries at the University of California, Los Angeles, is one of the most comprehensive rare books and manuscripts libraries in the United States, with particular strengths in English literature and history , Oscar Wilde, and fine...

, UCLA.

This collection includes typescripts and copies of many letters and associated documents from Wilde's circle. Scholarly accounts of the manuscripts and Wilde's methods of working can be found among the many graduate and post graduate works. The library's collection of materials features early purchases from Wilde's son Vyvyan Holland, the bibliographer Christopher Millard, and literary executor Robert Ross. This group of autograph letters and drafts by Wilde, supported by a nearly complete collection of printed editions of his works make useful research material for modern biographers. Original photographs, caricatures, theatre programs, and news cuttings are available.

In looking over the material it can be seen that the image of the indolent Wilde, carefree and idle for much of the time, is misleading, although in some sense it is a myth that was perpetuated by the author himself. Wilde had two plays running in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

's West End before the scandal erupted. Rehearsals for The Importance of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at St. James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personae in order to escape burdensome social obligations...

even took place on Christmas Day, much to the annoyance of the actors.
Various copy books contain pages where either the dialogue is a free-flowing early draft — or a combination of both typed copy and annotations by hand. Various pastings occur and clear marginal notes are directed to the typist from Mrs Marshall's Typewriting School. Wilde often corrected his manuscripts using large balloons drawn in purple pencil. Some of the pastings may be post Wilde, or, more probably, are early constructions for rehearsal and prompt copies.

In construction, the plays undergo a similar process of working-up. A fairly tight first draft generally includes all the acts, with minimal crossings out. This is followed by a much altered and revised second draft, especially in the case of Lady Windermere's Fan
Lady Windermere's Fan
Lady Windermere's Fan, A Play About a Good Woman is a four act comedy by Oscar Wilde, first produced 22 February 1892 at the St James's Theatre in London. The play was first published in 1893...

. Here, Wilde works particularly hard in order to make the greatest impact. He is fully concerned with plot and the development of the characters. He writes to George Alexander on the point: "I cannot seem to get my people real. I worked at it when I was not fully in the mood."

The first comedy of manners seemed to take its toll, with many further changes occurring even after the first night. Character names often run in confusion, as if it does not matter who is speaking. The talk itself flows seamlessly and is very original. In many scenes, there is a run of counter arguments that build upon each utterance, darting about a central theme. Flashes of genius mix with awkward ripostes. On occasion, an outburst of extraordinary tongue-in-cheek statements leap from the page, few of which reached curtain up.

The following was removed from the manuscript:
Lady Windermere — "Sugar, Lord Darlington?"
He takes three lumps.
Lord Darlington — "I find three lumps almost bigamous."

Notebook — 'I have never sown wild oats, but I have planted a few Orchids.'


Many lines are cancelled in later drafts as plot points alter the sense or make the exchange redundant. Yet epigrams generally survive to be inserted elsewhere, even from other stories — e.g., several lines from Dorian Gray
Dorian Gray
Dorian Gray is the main character of Oscar Wilde's novel The Picture of Dorian Gray.It may also refer to:* Dorian Gray , an Italian film starring Helmut Berger...

appear again in L.W.F. Modifications to the work through stage rehearsal are sometimes incorporated on scraps of paper.

The secrecy surrounding the plots of An Ideal Husband
An Ideal Husband
An Ideal Husband is an 1895 comedic stage play by Oscar Wilde which revolves around blackmail and political corruption, and touches on the themes of public and private honour...

and The Importance of Being Earnest is clearly shown in the strict instructions to the typist, being forbidden to show or excerpt lines. Typescripts were delivered by hand under plain cover to 'Oscar Wilde 10/11 St. James's Place'. They were never posted.
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