Wilde’s sentencing was severe. Hard labor in Victorian prisons was notoriously harsh and degrading, involving physically demanding tasks such as breaking stones or working on treadmills, often under brutal conditions.
Wilde was imprisoned in Pentonville Prison, later transferred to Wandsworth and then Reading Gaol, where his health deteriorated significantly due to the harsh conditions and poor treatment.
The Impact of Wilde’s Conviction on His Life and Work
Oscar Wilde’s imprisonment effectively ended his career in England. Upon his release in 1897, he left the country and spent the remainder of his life in exile in France, living under the pseudonym Sebastian Melmoth.
During his imprisonment, Wilde wrote De Profundis, a long letter to Lord Alfred Douglas reflecting on his spiritual journey, suffering, and relationship with Douglas. After his release, he published The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898), a poignant poem about the brutal realities of prison life.
Wilde’s health never fully recovered from his incarceration, and he died in relative poverty on November 30, 1900, at the age of 46. shutdown123