America

This chapter focuses on Oscar Wilde’s 1882 lecture tour of America. It sets out the biographical facts and cultural contexts, using letters and newspaper articles to illustrate how Wilde’s expectations of both America and his role on its lecture circuit had to shift quickly and radically to meet the expectations of the public. As the chapter discusses this, it explores how Wilde’s experience in America helped to shape his career, forcing him to confront whether he was a serious dramatist or a raconteur. The chapter then discusses how America and Americans figured in Wilde’s imagination, appearing in A Woman of No Importance and ‘The Canterville Ghost’.