Kate Hext

Wilde in the Dream Factory

Starts at: Tuesday 22 October 7:45 PM
Finishes at: Tuesday 22 October 8:45 PM

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This haunting story first takes us back to 1882 and Oscar Wilde’s American tour, tracing the burgeoning popularity of his plays and novels against the backdrop of the evolution of the American entertainment industry; of how this became cinema which subsequently developed into the movies and ultimately Hollywood.

Even after his ignominious death Wilde’s spirit lived on with his influence continuing to make an impact beyond the grave. As writers, film makers and actors headed west, Wilde went ‘with them’ making an indelible mark on the early days of silent cinema – and beyond.

Wilde's queer playfulness was translated into the creation of screwball comedies, gangster movies, B-movie horrors, and films noir. In this new Hollywood Wilde and his style embodied a spirit of rebellion and naughtiness, providing a blueprint for the charismatic cinematic criminal and screwball talk onscreen. This fascinating work throws a new light on Wilde’s afterlife and cinema’s beginnings.

Kate Hext is an associate professor in Decadent Literature and the Arts at the University of Exeter. She has written books about the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and her writing has appeared in the Times Literary Supplement and Aeon.

Sponsored by Wells Cathedral School