Declaring His Genius: Oscar Wilde in North America

<p>Arriving at the port of New York in 1882, a 27-year-old Oscar Wilde quipped he had &quot;nothing to declare but my genius.&quot; But as Roy Morris, Jr., reveals in this sparkling narrative, Wilde was, for the first time in his life, underselling himself. A chronicle of the sensation that was Wilde's eleven-month speaking tour of America, <i>Declaring His Genius</i> offers an indelible portrait of both Oscar Wilde and the Gilded Age.</p><p> </p><p> Wilde covered 15,000 miles, delivered 140 lectures, and met everyone who was anyone. Dressed in satin knee britches and black silk stockings, the long-haired apostle of the British Aesthetic Movement alternately shocked, entertained, and enlightened a spellbound nation. Harvard students attending one of his lectures sported Wildean costume, clutching sunflowers and affecting world-weary poses. Denver prostitutes enticed customers by crying: &quot;We know what makes a cat wild, but what makes Oscar <i>Wilde</i>?&quot; Whitman hoisted a glass to his health, while Ambrose Bierce denounced him as a fraud.</p><p> </p><p> Wilde helped alter the way post-Civil War Americans - still reeling from the most destructive conflict in their history - understood themselves. In an era that saw rapid technological changes, social upheaval, and an ever-widening gap between rich and poor, he delivered a powerful anti-materialistic message about art and the need for beauty. Yet Wilde too was changed by his tour. Having conquered America, a savvier, more mature writer was ready to take on the rest of the world. Neither Wilde nor America would ever be the same.</p>