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brogshan's review against another edition
4.0
I was surprised by how accessible this biography was. Harris' informal tone makes it seem like you're carrying on a conversation and his frankness tells you as much about that author as it does Wilde. I learned a good deal about Oscar Wilde that I hadn't before, but the author's close relationship does make me question how factually accurate he is at times. Overall a very good read.
hottoddie's review against another edition
3.0
I recently became obsessed with Oscar Wilde after reading "A picture of Dorian Gray" and was seized by a need to know everything about him. I read both volumes of Harris' Life and Confessions" over a weekend and chose his book as I could down load it free to my iphone:)I'm not sure how it rates compared to otherbiographies but will find out as I read more.
This was an imensly subjective account of Oscar Wile as Frank Harris was his friend. It was very difficult to tell if the facts were facts or facts as Harris sees them.Between these "facts " there was pages upon pages of Harris opinions about "the English, politics, various other writers and some of all this waffle had little or nothing to do with Oscar Wilde!At this point I was going to give the book two stars as Harris appeared to be using this biography as a platform for his own ideas. In addition I found his ideas highly offensive He called the homosexual activity Oscar was tried for "abnormal viciousness". Viciousness!!!....obviously a word that has changed over time to mean something else.He looked down on women and often names certain weaknesses in Wilde as womenly behaviour or traits.He saw the working classes as beneath contempt and really they shouldn't be listened to in court ,by virtue of their station alone. I started to dislike Mr Harris intensley!
I know ,I know , He was a product of his time and culture .All people were homophobic and very class concious and women were not regarded as equals in the late nineteenth centuary. I did take this into account but Harris still comes across as really very judgmental.
It takes Harris to near the end of volume one to accept Oscar Wilde was gay, despite much evidence of it, and only when he heard it from Wildes lips. Despite this, which I presume is because he really didn't want to believe his friend could be guilty of "that most abhorrent of vices", he talks often of Wildes many weaknesses. He is vain in the extreme, desperately attention seeking, indifferent to the needs of those less well off and an enormous snob. However Harris manages to convey his great affection for Wilde and indeed Wildes charm and "aimiabity"
If you want a biography of objective facts about Oscar Wildes life then I suspecct this isn't for you. If, like me , you are obsessed with Wilde, his life and works ,then it is rather a page turner.Emotional, highly subjective and a bit waffly in places it still gives you a picture of the whole man that was Oscar Wilde. I had a gruging admiration for Harris as, despite his predudices, he remained a loyal friend, standing up for Wilde and fighting his corner when it seemed the whole of society had turned against him, even risting being ostracised.For that he deserves to have his book read :)
Another group I would recommend this to is anyone with an interest in social history. The superficial world of the upper classes are viewed at first hand ;the prison system with all its cruelty and horror also seen through Wildes eyes [and there were children there!]. Without meaning to Harris has given us a snapshot of ninteenth centuary life from many different angles .
I'm still not sure if 3 stars is right. After I've read some more I may come back and change it.
Oh! and one of my favourite lines; Harris refers to someone who also risked being ostracised by standing bail for Wilde as "a clergy man, and yet still a Christian !"So funny and brilliant.
This was an imensly subjective account of Oscar Wile as Frank Harris was his friend. It was very difficult to tell if the facts were facts or facts as Harris sees them.Between these "facts " there was pages upon pages of Harris opinions about "the English, politics, various other writers and some of all this waffle had little or nothing to do with Oscar Wilde!At this point I was going to give the book two stars as Harris appeared to be using this biography as a platform for his own ideas. In addition I found his ideas highly offensive He called the homosexual activity Oscar was tried for "abnormal viciousness". Viciousness!!!....obviously a word that has changed over time to mean something else.He looked down on women and often names certain weaknesses in Wilde as womenly behaviour or traits.He saw the working classes as beneath contempt and really they shouldn't be listened to in court ,by virtue of their station alone. I started to dislike Mr Harris intensley!
I know ,I know , He was a product of his time and culture .All people were homophobic and very class concious and women were not regarded as equals in the late nineteenth centuary. I did take this into account but Harris still comes across as really very judgmental.
It takes Harris to near the end of volume one to accept Oscar Wilde was gay, despite much evidence of it, and only when he heard it from Wildes lips. Despite this, which I presume is because he really didn't want to believe his friend could be guilty of "that most abhorrent of vices", he talks often of Wildes many weaknesses. He is vain in the extreme, desperately attention seeking, indifferent to the needs of those less well off and an enormous snob. However Harris manages to convey his great affection for Wilde and indeed Wildes charm and "aimiabity"
If you want a biography of objective facts about Oscar Wildes life then I suspecct this isn't for you. If, like me , you are obsessed with Wilde, his life and works ,then it is rather a page turner.Emotional, highly subjective and a bit waffly in places it still gives you a picture of the whole man that was Oscar Wilde. I had a gruging admiration for Harris as, despite his predudices, he remained a loyal friend, standing up for Wilde and fighting his corner when it seemed the whole of society had turned against him, even risting being ostracised.For that he deserves to have his book read :)
Another group I would recommend this to is anyone with an interest in social history. The superficial world of the upper classes are viewed at first hand ;the prison system with all its cruelty and horror also seen through Wildes eyes [and there were children there!]. Without meaning to Harris has given us a snapshot of ninteenth centuary life from many different angles .
I'm still not sure if 3 stars is right. After I've read some more I may come back and change it.
Oh! and one of my favourite lines; Harris refers to someone who also risked being ostracised by standing bail for Wilde as "a clergy man, and yet still a Christian !"So funny and brilliant.
elainetodd's review against another edition
3.0
I recently became obsessed with Oscar Wilde after reading "A picture of Dorian Gray" and was seized by a need to know everything about him. I read both volumes of Harris' Life and Confessions" over a weekend and chose his book as I could down load it free to my iphone:)I'm not sure how it rates compared to otherbiographies but will find out as I read more.
This was an imensly subjective account of Oscar Wile as Frank Harris was his friend. It was very difficult to tell if the facts were facts or facts as Harris sees them.Between these "facts " there was pages upon pages of Harris opinions about "the English, politics, various other writers and some of all this waffle had little or nothing to do with Oscar Wilde!At this point I was going to give the book two stars as Harris appeared to be using this biography as a platform for his own ideas. In addition I found his ideas highly offensive He called the homosexual activity Oscar was tried for "abnormal viciousness". Viciousness!!!....obviously a word that has changed over time to mean something else.He looked down on women and often names certain weaknesses in Wilde as womenly behaviour or traits.He saw the working classes as beneath contempt and really they shouldn't be listened to in court ,by virtue of their station alone. I started to dislike Mr Harris intensley!
I know ,I know , He was a product of his time and culture .All people were homophobic and very class concious and women were not regarded as equals in the late nineteenth centuary. I did take this into account but Harris still comes across as really very judgmental.
It takes Harris to near the end of volume one to accept Oscar Wilde was gay, despite much evidence of it, and only when he heard it from Wildes lips. Despite this, which I presume is because he really didn't want to believe his friend could be guilty of "that most abhorrent of vices", he talks often of Wildes many weaknesses. He is vain in the extreme, desperately attention seeking, indifferent to the needs of those less well off and an enormous snob. However Harris manages to convey his great affection for Wilde and indeed Wildes charm and "aimiabity"
If you want a biography of objective facts about Oscar Wildes life then I suspecct this isn't for you. If, like me , you are obsessed with Wilde, his life and works ,then it is rather a page turner.Emotional, highly subjective and a bit waffly in places it still gives you a picture of the whole man that was Oscar Wilde. I had a gruging admiration for Harris as, despite his predudices, he remained a loyal friend, standing up for Wilde and fighting his corner when it seemed the whole of society had turned against him, even risting being ostracised.For that he deserves to have his book read :)
Another group I would recommend this to is anyone with an interest in social history. The superficial world of the upper classes are viewed at first hand ;the prison system with all its cruelty and horror also seen through Wildes eyes [and there were children there!]. Without meaning to Harris has given us a snapshot of ninteenth centuary life from many different angles .
I'm still not sure if 3 stars is right. After I've read some more I may come back and change it.
Oh! and one of my favourite lines; Harris refers to someone who also risked being ostracised by standing bail for Wilde as "a clergy man, and yet still a Christian !"So funny and brilliant.
This was an imensly subjective account of Oscar Wile as Frank Harris was his friend. It was very difficult to tell if the facts were facts or facts as Harris sees them.Between these "facts " there was pages upon pages of Harris opinions about "the English, politics, various other writers and some of all this waffle had little or nothing to do with Oscar Wilde!At this point I was going to give the book two stars as Harris appeared to be using this biography as a platform for his own ideas. In addition I found his ideas highly offensive He called the homosexual activity Oscar was tried for "abnormal viciousness". Viciousness!!!....obviously a word that has changed over time to mean something else.He looked down on women and often names certain weaknesses in Wilde as womenly behaviour or traits.He saw the working classes as beneath contempt and really they shouldn't be listened to in court ,by virtue of their station alone. I started to dislike Mr Harris intensley!
I know ,I know , He was a product of his time and culture .All people were homophobic and very class concious and women were not regarded as equals in the late nineteenth centuary. I did take this into account but Harris still comes across as really very judgmental.
It takes Harris to near the end of volume one to accept Oscar Wilde was gay, despite much evidence of it, and only when he heard it from Wildes lips. Despite this, which I presume is because he really didn't want to believe his friend could be guilty of "that most abhorrent of vices", he talks often of Wildes many weaknesses. He is vain in the extreme, desperately attention seeking, indifferent to the needs of those less well off and an enormous snob. However Harris manages to convey his great affection for Wilde and indeed Wildes charm and "aimiabity"
If you want a biography of objective facts about Oscar Wildes life then I suspecct this isn't for you. If, like me , you are obsessed with Wilde, his life and works ,then it is rather a page turner.Emotional, highly subjective and a bit waffly in places it still gives you a picture of the whole man that was Oscar Wilde. I had a gruging admiration for Harris as, despite his predudices, he remained a loyal friend, standing up for Wilde and fighting his corner when it seemed the whole of society had turned against him, even risting being ostracised.For that he deserves to have his book read :)
Another group I would recommend this to is anyone with an interest in social history. The superficial world of the upper classes are viewed at first hand ;the prison system with all its cruelty and horror also seen through Wildes eyes [and there were children there!]. Without meaning to Harris has given us a snapshot of ninteenth centuary life from many different angles .
I'm still not sure if 3 stars is right. After I've read some more I may come back and change it.
Oh! and one of my favourite lines; Harris refers to someone who also risked being ostracised by standing bail for Wilde as "a clergy man, and yet still a Christian !"So funny and brilliant.
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