Oscar Wilde Discovers America [1882]


Lloyd Lewis (1891 – 1949) and Henry Justin Smith (1875 – 1936)
Language: English

In 1882, Oscar Wilde toured North America from New York to San Francisco and Montreal to New Orleans, lecturing on art and home decoration. The American public was familiar with Wilde thanks to the newspaper cartoons that mocked him and his fellow aesthetes for their peculiar dress and ideas. They were more eager to see his long hair and knee breeches than hear him talk. Oscar Wilde Discovers America [1882] is the first full account of Wilde’s tour. Lewis and Smith create a picture of Wilde at the very beginning of his career, and vividly conjure the cultural milieu of America at the end of the 19th century. (summary by Rob Marland)


This book is part of the Legamus collection. It is public domain in the European Union, where it is hosted on Legamus' servers. It may not be legally accessed in the United States.

Chapters

01 - Book One: The Aesthetes. 1. 'A Most Intense Young Man' 35:24
02 - 2. Advance Poster for Patience 30:10
03 - Book Two: First Discoveries. 1. 'Nothing to Declare But My Genius' 36:25
04 - 2. Lilies Over Ladies' Hearts 52:04
05 - 3. At Whitman's Feet 54:09
06 - 4. Tongueless Silence ... Dreamless Dust 41:56
07 - 5. The Trials of Guiteau—and Oscar 16:07
08 - 6. In the 'Athens of America' 25:12
09 - 7. Lady of 'The Battle-Hymn' 19:26
10 - 8. 'Gentle, Sweet, and Crushing' 32:12
11 - Book Three: March Across the Continent. 1. 'America—the Paradise of Women' 54:28
12 - 2. 'Wild Oscar, the Ass-thete' 30:26
13 - 3. Chicago, the 'Windy' 19:02
14 - 4. 'A Castellated Monstrosity' 24:35
15 - 5. 'The Free-Lunch Route' 27:01
16 - 6. Ice Cream with the Governor of Indiana 29:12
17 - 7. The Beautiful Streets of St. Louis 43:45
18 - 8. A Nation of Orators 38:05
19 - 9. Aesthetes in Leather 41:50
20 - 10. A Three-Bottle Man Comes to California 42:51
21 - 11. Jesse, by Jehovah! 51:46
22 - 12. The Scarlet Aesthetes of Denver, 1-4 31:53
23 - 12. The Scarlet Aesthetes of Denver, 5-6 33:05
24 - 13. 'Eugene Field Plays It Pretty Low-down', 1-5 31:48
25 - 13. 'Eugene Field Plays It Pretty Low-down', 6-9 33:11
26 - Book Four: Eastward, Southward, Northward. 1. Sunflowers in Kansas 38:29
27 - 2. 'Adds a New Horror to Death' 37:31
28 - 3. 'Most Beautiful Flower in the South', 1-6 35:00
29 - 3. 'Most Beautiful Flower in the South', 7-12 38:27
30 - 4. Immortalized in Crazy Quilts 37:03
31 - Book Five: 'I Would Rather Have Discovered Mrs. Langtry...'. 'The Public B… 49:38
32 - 2. 'Lily of Love, Pure and Inviolate' 33:17
33 - 3. 'Do You Love Mrs. Langtry?' 42:00
34 - 4. 'No Wave of His Chiseled Hand' 4:22