The Soul of Man Under Socialism

George Bernard Shaw, an important Irish socialist and literary critic, said of the essay after it came out: “[I]t was very witty and entertaining, but had nothing whatever to do with socialism” (Belford, Barbara. Oscar Wilde. Random House, 2000). How does this critique speak to the tensions between art and politics in the broader culture, which Wilde was attempting to reconcile?

Is there a tension between Wilde’s defense of socialism and his disdain for much of the public at large? How does Wilde’s depiction of “the people” compare to that of other socialist writers?

Wilde makes many allusions to other artists, using their work as examples of both bad art and good art. Pick one of the artists Wilde praises and research them. Based on Wilde’s essay, what about this artist’s work might have appealed to Wilde?

Wilde does not back up his arguments with sources or statistics at all, instead relying on logic and emotion. Why might Wilde have chosen this approach?

“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all” (20). This is by far the best-known quote from this essay, and it is often misattributed to Wilde’s other works. Looking first at the original rhetorical context of this quote, consider how it has evolved in use. How does this removal of the original context reflect Wilde’s critique of popular culture?

This essay was republished five days after Wilde’s trial, where he was sentenced to hard labor for “gross indecency.” How might this essay’s critique of authority and championing of individualism reflect Wilde’s position as a man who engaged in relationships with other men in an anti-gay society? Does this biographical context change how you understand Wilde’s discussion of people who break the law and/or his discussion of the dissolution of the family?

Throughout the essay, Wilde returns to the figure of Jesus, relating him to socialism and individualism. What role does Jesus play in Wilde’s arguments? How does Wilde distinguish Jesus from institutional Christianity, and are there any ways in which Wilde criticizes Jesus himself?

How does Wilde balance his belief in individualism against his desire to persuade people to support a particular cause? Does the essay itself address this tension?