The Ballad of Reading Gaol
by Oscar Wilde
- 25 Want to read
- 1 Currently reading
- 4 Have read
The Ballad of Reading Gaol is a poem by Oscar Wilde, written in exile either in Berneval or in Dieppe, France, after his release from Reading Gaol on or about 19 May 1897. Wilde had been incarcerated in Reading, after being convicted of homosexual offences in 1895 and sentenced to two years' hard labour in prison.
During his imprisonment, on Saturday 7 July 1896, a hanging took place. Charles Thomas Wooldridge (ca. 1866 – 7 July 1896) had been a trooper in the Royal Horse Guards. He was convicted of cutting the throat of his wife, Laura Ellen, earlier that year at Clewer, near Windsor. He was only aged 30 when executed. This had a profound effect on Wilde, inspiring the line "Yet each man kills the thing he loves."
The finished poem was published by Leonard Smithers in 1898 under the name C.3.3., which stood for cell block C, landing 3, cell 3. This ensured that Wilde's name – by then notorious – did not appear on the poem's front cover. It was not commonly known, until the 7th printing in June 1899, that C.3.3. was actually Wilde.
Check nearby libraries
Buy this book
Previews available in: English
Showing 10 featured editions. View all 75 editions?
| Edition | Availability |
|---|---|
01
|
bbbb
|
02
|
aaaa
|
03
|
bbbb
|
04
|
bbbb
|
05
|
bbbb
|
06
|
bbbb
|
07
|
bbbb
|
08
|
bbbb
|
09
|
bbbb
|
10
|
bbbb
|
Book Details
Edition Notes
Classifications
Contributors
The Physical Object
ID Numbers
Community Reviews (0)
Feedback?Lists
See All
History
- Created July 21, 2009
- 8 revisions
Wikipedia citation
×CloseCopy and paste this code into your Wikipedia page. Need help?
| July 31, 2024 | Edited by ImportBot | import existing book |
| October 24, 2011 | Edited by Violet | Edited without comment. |
| October 23, 2011 | Edited by Violet | Edited without comment. |
| October 23, 2011 | Edited by Violet | Update covers |
| July 21, 2009 | Created by ImportBot | Imported from Internet Archive item record |