This book focuses on the role that the Oxford classical curriculum has had in shaping Oscar Wilde s aestheticism. It positions Wilde as a classically trained intellectual and outlines the path he took to gain recognition as a writer and promoter of the aesthetic movement. This narrative is conveyed through a broad range of literary sources, including Wilde s travel poetry, American lectures, and canonical works like The Critic as Artist , The Soul of Man, The Picture of Dorian Gray and De Profundis. This study proposes that Wilde approached aestheticism as a personalised, self-directed learning experience a mode of self-culture which could be used to maintain an intellectual life outside of the university. It also explores Wilde s thoughts on education and considers the significance of male friendship at Oxford, and in Wilde s life and literature.
