After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal

Episode: Oscar Wilde's Very Victorian Scandal
Hosts: Anthony Delaney & Maddy Pelling
Guest: Merlin Holland (Oscar Wilde’s grandson & biographer)
Release Date: December 15, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the extraordinary rise and tragic downfall of Oscar Wilde, one of Victorian Britain’s brightest literary stars. Through the personal lens of his only grandson and biographer, Merlin Holland, the show uncovers Wilde's Irish roots, his complex relationships, the sensational trials that destroyed his career, and the enduring legacy left in his wake. The discussion seamlessly blends biography, literary history, cultural context, and thoughtful commentary.

1. Oscar Wilde’s Origins and Formative Years

[05:19–11:39]

• Irish Heritage:

  • Merlin and the hosts emphasize Wilde's foundational Irish identity, often overshadowed by his later London fame.
  • Wilde’s father, Sir William Wilde, was a renowned physician and antiquarian; his mother, Jane Elgee (“Speranza”), was a nationalist poet and almost arrested for sedition due to her anti-British poetry.
    • “She was Jane Elgee… a poet and contributed largely to the young Ireland movement… She went to court apparently and stood up and said, ‘If anybody is to blame, it is I.’… She had a sense of the dramatic, which I adore.” – Merlin Holland [08:00]

• Intellectual Upbringing:

  • The blend of nationalism from his mother and rational scholarship from his father contributed profoundly to Wilde’s unique persona.

• Education:

  • Wilde studied classics at Trinity College Dublin and then Oxford, earning a rare double first.
  • “He grew into it… the turning point… being asked to go and lecture in America… it was pretty much a trial by fire.” – Merlin Holland [09:09]

2. Wilde as Aesthetic Icon & Playful Myth

[11:39–15:01]

• Aesthetic Movement:
  • Wilde becomes a public figure associated with “art for art’s sake”, mixing myth and reality.
  • “The whole idea of this aesthetic movement is almost something which is intangible.” – Merlin Holland [11:58]
  • His legendary wit and self-mythologizing are discussed; Wilde valued incomprehensibility as part of greatness.
    • “Remain, James [Whistler], as I do, incomprehensible. To be great is to be misunderstood.” – Oscar Wilde (quoted by Merlin Holland) [14:18]

3. Family Life and Hidden Complexity

[15:01–24:31]

• Domestic Life:

  • Despite scandalous public perception, Wilde was a more involved Victorian father than typical, although perhaps not as idyllic as later memoirs suggest.

• Marriage & Relationship with Constance:

  • Many are surprised Wilde was married; the marriage to Constance was for love, not convenience.
  • “He may already have had homosexual tendencies… but my feeling always has been that they married for love.” – Merlin Holland [22:13]
  • The conversation explores modern perspectives on their arrangement, highlighting how their ambiguous, deeply personal relationship resists simple categorization.

• Role of Women:

  • Wilde’s progressive attitude towards women (e.g., renaming "Ladies’ World" magazine to "Woman’s World" and focusing on intellect, not just appearance.)
    • “He wanted… to deal not just with what women wear, but what they think and what they feel.” – Merlin Holland [25:18]

4. The Queensberry Scandal and Wilde’s Trials

[29:53–46:35]

• The Wilde–Bosie Relationship:

  • The intense relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas (“Bosie”) and its central role in Wilde’s downfall.
  • The involvement of Bosie’s father, the Marquess of Queensberry, becomes the catalyst for scandal.
  • The infamous calling card accusation (“posing somdomite [sodomite]”) at the Albemarle Club triggers legal action.
    • “Oscar then sues him for libel at Bosie’s insistence…” – Merlin Holland [32:36]

• Legal Trap and Changing Laws:

  • The Labouchere Amendment broadens criminal liability for same-sex acts to “gross indecency”.
  • Wilde’s own suit for libel against Queensberry disastrously backfires, leading to criminal charges against Wilde himself.

• Three Trials:

  • The hosts and Merlin detail all three trials:
    1. Libel Against Queensberry: Wilde is cross-examined brutally, his correspondence and Dorian Gray used as evidence.
       • “Did you kiss him? …Oh dear me, no, he was such an ugly boy, I pitied him for it.” – Oscar Wilde (quoted) [39:56]
       • “It's one witticism, one joke too many and he talks himself into prison.” – Merlin Holland [39:56]
    2. Criminal Prosecution #1: Hung jury.
    3. Criminal Prosecution #2: Streamlined prosecution, damning witness testimonies; Wilde found guilty.
  • Public morality and political climate contribute to the severity of his sentence (two years hard labor).
    • “The judge says… it’s not a severe enough sentence for what he has done.” – Merlin Holland [46:35]

5. Prison, Exile, and Family Aftermath

[46:35–59:54]

• Imprisonment:

  • Wilde endures devastating hard labor and dehumanizing routines in prison.
  • His devastating letter, De Profundis, is written in this period – introspective, literary, confessional.

• Impact on Family:

  • Constance moves the children out of England to protect them. She waits in England until Wilde’s fate is sealed, hoping for his release.
    • “…she stays behind… until the middle of June… that she stays… in order that if he gets off she’s there to greet him.” – Merlin Holland [50:22]
  • After moving, Constance struggles to settle the family; eventually, she dies abroad before Wilde is released.

• Post-prison Life:

  • Wilde leaves prison in 1897, supported by a few loyal friends (notably Robbie Ross). Constance gives Oscar a small allowance even after their separation.
  • Wilde briefly reunites with Bosie in Naples—cut off by all means of support, the relationship quickly fails.
    • “If I saw him now, I know I should forgive him everything.” – Constance Wilde (quoted by Merlin Holland) [58:23]
  • Wilde’s relationship with Constance and his children remains emotionally complex and poignant.

6. Wilde’s Final Years and Death

[59:54–65:13]

• Decline in Exile:
  • Wilde becomes impoverished, humiliated, and isolated but retains humor and brilliance to the last.
    • “Like dear Saint Francis of Assisi, I am wedded to poverty. But in my case, the marriage is not a success.” – Oscar Wilde (letter, quoted by Merlin Holland) [60:55]
  • Speculation about his cause of death (syphilis vs. complications from an ear infection).
  • His grave in Père Lachaise Cemetery becomes a site of pilgrimage; the famous “lipstick kisses” phenomenon and recent preservation efforts described.
    • “A kiss on the glass will be projected onto the tomb… the same effect, no damage.” – Merlin Holland [66:02]

7. Wilde’s Legacy

[67:59–71:43]

• Posthumous Pardon and Recognition:

  • Discussion about the 2017 posthumous pardons for men convicted under historic anti-homosexual laws (the “Alan Turing Law”)—Merlin reflects on whether he’d accept an official pardon for Oscar, questioning the implication of “wrongdoing”.

• Restoration of Library Access:

  • The British Library recreates Wilde’s revoked reader’s card and presents it to Merlin as a symbolic gesture.
    • “A pardon implies that you’ve done something wrong. And although it was against the law, he didn’t believe that same sex relations between men was wrong. And the fact that… a reader’s card… to a man of letters… is more significant.” – Merlin Holland [69:15]

• Final Thoughts:

  • Merlin’s biography, After Oscar: The Legacy of a Scandal, seeks to debunk posthumous myths and illustrate Wilde’s continued impact.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “I am Irish, which is altogether a different thing.” – Oscar Wilde (paraphrased by Anthony) [05:47]
• “To be great is to be misunderstood.” – Oscar Wilde (letter, quoted by Merlin) [14:18]
• “Oscar Wilde is not either/or, you have to look at him as always both and.” – Merlin Holland [22:13]
• “Society takes upon itself the right to inflict appalling punishments on the individual. But it also… fails to realize what it’s done. When the man's punishment is over, it leaves him to himself… it abandons him at the very moment when its highest duty towards him begins.” – Oscar Wilde (De Profundis, quoted by Merlin) [53:33]
• “My art to me was everything… All other passions to me were as marsh water to red wine… My art meant everything to me.” – Oscar Wilde (De Profundis, quoted by Merlin) [63:03]
• “Life is a very terrible thing.” – Oscar Wilde (on seeing Constance’s grave) [60:54]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Oscar’s Irish Roots & Family – [05:19–08:41]
• Art, Wit, & The Aesthetic Movement – [08:41–15:01]
• Family Life & Constance Wilde – [15:01–24:31]
• Bosie, Queensberry, & Scandal Unfolds – [29:53–36:30]
• The Trials: Proceedings, Strategy & Fallout – [36:30–46:35]
• Prison, Exile, & Family Aftermath – [46:35–59:54]
• Final Years, Death, Legacy – [59:54–71:43]

Tone & Style

The episode is erudite yet warm, mixing historical detail with accessible reflection. Merlin Holland’s contributions are expert, personal, and often moving; the hosts’ rapport is lively, sometimes playful, celebrating Wilde’s wit and tragic grandeur.

For Listeners New to Oscar Wilde

This episode offers a rich, nuanced exploration of Wilde—not just as a literary icon or scandalous figure, but as a son, husband, lover, prisoner, and father transformed by the shifting tides of his society. The discussion is both intimate and expansive, ideal for anyone curious about the personal and historical layers of one of history’s most compelling misfits.