Recall Knowledge Questions - Context

Question 1

Why did Oscar Wilde go to prison and when?

Answer 1

Convicted for homosexuality and ‘gross indecency’ in 1895

Question 2

What is a dandy?

Answer 2

A man who places importance on physical appearance and has refined aesthetic taste

Question 3

When was Oscar Wilde born?

Answer 3

1854

Question 4

When did Wilde meet Lord Alfred Douglas?

Answer 4

1891

Question 5

What year was De Profundis written?

Answer 5

1897

Question 6

What year did Oscar Wilde die?

Answer 6

1900

Question 7

How did London expand from 1800-1900

Answer 7

Population grew from about 1 million in 1800 to over 6 million by 1900, making it the largest city in the world

Question 8

How did slums and overcrowding impact London?

Answer 8

The rapid influx of people led to severe overcrowding, with poor sanitation in working class areas like the east end

Question 9

What was the class system like in Victorian society?

Answer 9

Rigid class system - Victorian society was highly stratified with a clear divide between the upper, middle and working classes

Question 10

What was aristocracy and nobility like in Victorian society?

Answer 10

The upper class dominated politics and culture, living in lavish estates in areas like Mayfair and kensington

Question 11

Why was there a rising middle class in Victorian society?

Answer 11

Industrialisation created new wealth, enabling a growing middle class of professions, merchants and entrepreneurs

Question 12

What were working class struggles like in Victorian society?

Answer 12

Poor wages, long working hours, and harsh conditions defined life for most labourers, especially in factories and docks

Question 13

How was charity and philanthropy presented in Victorian society?

Answer 13

As poverty became more visible, charitable organisations and philanthropists like Charles booth attempted to alleviate some suffering

Question 14

What were crime rates like in Victorian London?

Answer 14

Urban poverty and overcrowding led to increased crime, including theft, prostitution and gang violence

Question 15

How was policing changed in the Victorian society?

Answer 15

The establishment of the metropolitan police in 1829 by sir Robert peel helped reduce crime, though corruption and inefficiency were issues

Question 16

Who was a notorious criminal in 1888 and what fears did he highlight?

Answer 16

Jack the Ripper - highlighted fears about crime, particularly in the slums of th east end

Question 17

Where did the poor often end up in Victorian society?

Answer 17

Workhouses or prisons, where conditions were notoriously harsh and aimed at deterring pauperism

Question 18

What was Victorian morality like?

Answer 18

A strong emphasis on sexual restraint, family values, and social propriety defined middle and upper class behaviour

Question 19

What did Aestheticism emphasise?

Answer 19

The idea that art should exist solely for its beauty and not serve moral, political or practical purposes.

Question 20

What did the aesthetic movement emerge in response to?

Answer 20

The rigid moralism and industrial utilitarianism of Victorian society. It promoted individual expression, sensory pleasure and a celebration of beauty over conventional values and functionality

Question 21

What is mimesis?

Answer 21

Art imitates life

Question 22

What is anti-mimesis?

Answer 22

Life imitates art

Question 23

Is Wilde’s view mimetic or anti mimetic?

Answer 23

Anti mimetic. What art really mimics is the individual viewing it.

Question 24

What genre is the novella?

Answer 24

A decadent gothic

Question 25

What is hedonism?

Answer 25

A philosophy that prioritises the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain as the highest good in life

Question 26

Who is Adonis in Greek mythology?

Answer 26

The God of beauty, fertility and permanent renewal. He is known as a god who was forever young, the one who would live and die only to be born again

Question 27

Who is narcissus?

Answer 27

Known for his beauty. He rejected all romantic advances, eventually falling in love with his own reflection in a pool of water, staring at it for the remainder of his life

Question 28

When was ‘Dr Faustus’ written and by who?

Answer 28

Christopher Marlow in 1604

Question 29

What happens in Dr Faustus?

Answer 29

A scholar, dr Faustus, who makes a pact with the devil, trading his soul for 24 years of unlimited knowledge and magical power, leading to his eventual damnation

Question 30

What is a Faustian bargain?

Answer 30

Any deal where a person sacrifices their moral integrity or ‘soul’ in exchange for earthly gains

Question 31

What does faustus’ desire represent?

Answer 31

Human hubris, illuminating how overreaching ambition and the neglect of moral responsibility can lead to self destruction

Question 32

What does ‘de Profundis’ mean?

Answer 32

‘From the depths’ or ‘out of the depths’

Question 33

What was de profundis?

Answer 33

A long love letter addressed ‘dear bosie’ whcih Wilde was allowed to write towards the end of his prison term

Question 34

What does Wilde write about in de profundis?

Answer 34

Suffering during imprisonment, tumultuous relationship with Alfred, reflects on dangers of unrestrained hedonism and more

Question 35

How does Wilde’s critique of hedonism in de profundis link to Dorian gray?

Answer 35

De Profundis serves as Wilde’s personal reflection on the dangers of hedonism, echoing themes from Dorian Gray, where Dorian’s pursuit of pleasure and beauty leads to his moral and physical decay.

Question 36

How does Wilde’s discussion of suffering and redemption in de profundis link to Dorian gray?

Answer 36

In both works, Wilde emphasises the transformative power of suffering. While Dorian resists redemption, Wilde in De Profundis acknowledges suffering as a path to spiritual growth, contrasting Dorian’s refusal to change.

Question 37

How does Wilde’s discussion of art and morality in de profundis link to Dorian gray?

Answer 37

De Profundis deepens Wilde’s exploration of the relationship between art and morality, seen in Dorian Gray. Wilde critiques his former aesthetic philosophy, questioning the separation of art from moral consequences - something central to Dorian’s downfall.

Question 38

What is exoticism?

Answer 38

The quality of being exciting and unusual because someone or something comes or seems to come from far away