The Houston Seminar Courses

Fall 2006 Courses

Wilde about Oscar: His Genius on Stage and Film
The Picture of Dorian Gray , An Ideal Husband, and The Importance of Being Earnest

Four Thursdays, September 21 and 28, and October 5 and 12, 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
Compass Bank Building, Second Floor, 2001 Kirby at San Felipe

Oscar Fingla O’Flahertie Wills Wilde dropped his three middle names early in life because, he said, his entire name was much too long for someone who would be as famous as he. Wilde is considered to be one of the greatest playwrights of late nineteenth century London. He is known for his genius, his brittle and clever wit, and his embrace of the aesthetic movement that advocated “Art for Art’s Sake.”* George Bernard Shaw wrote, “Mr. Wilde is to me our only serious playwright. He plays with everything: with wit, with philosophy, with drama, with actors, with audience, with the whole theater.”

Dennis Huston, professor of English at Rice University, will discuss Wilde's works - their themes, characters, and dramatic emphases - and will enhance our understanding of what happens to great novels and plays when they are effectively adapted to film. Huston will critically examine and discuss the works with film excerpts in the above order.

* Oscar Wilde's life and work was integrally tied to that of a number of the creative geniuses who will be discussed in this semester's seminar "Confronting the Paradox." A tumultuous relationship with Aubrey Beardsley began when Wilde invited Beardsley to illustrate Salome. Evidence of that play's enduring appeal can be found in the recent stage production by Al Pacino and his planned documentary film about it. To watch a video of Pacino discussing the play, visit Oscar Wilde's Salome. Read about the stage and film projects in the Guardian article, "Unveiled: Pacino's unsated desire for the Wilde Salome."

In January, the first act of a new opera based on the life of Wilde premiered at the Granite State Opera. "At once flamboyant, introspective, comic, tragic and heroic, only the most comprehensive of all the performing arts can hope to capture Wilde's amazing life and personality." Listen at http://at.bc.edu/wildething/

Wilde heard John Ruskin lecture in Oxford and was inspired by him try to build a road through a swamp separating two villages. This experience, Wilde says in his 1882 American lecture, Art And The Handicraftsman, spurred him to create "an artistic movement that might change...the face of England." At the heart of that movement was William Morris. Other lectures given by Oscar Wilde during his 1882 tour in America can be found on the webpage Founders Of The Arts and Crafts Movement.

Links to sites outside of The Houston Seminar are not under their control and The Houston Seminar is not responsible for the information or links you may find there. The presence of the link is not intended to imply The Houston Seminar endorsement.

Photo Source: http://www.emmedici.com/journeys/eire/cultura/letteratura/wilde.gif

Summer Seminar

Study Tour of the Italian Lakes

Wilde about Oscar

2006 Elections

Pittman McGehee and The Denial of Death

Philip Roth and his novels

Victorian England

Middle East Insights

Looted Art

Austin Study Tour

The Gospel of Judas

Fall 2006 Courses	Wilde about Oscar: His Genius on Stage and Film The Picture of Dorian Gray , An Ideal Husband, and The Importance of Being Earnest Four Thursdays, September 21 and 28, and October 5 and 12, 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. Compass Bank Building, Second Floor, 2001 Kirby at San Felipe Oscar Fingla O’Flahertie Wills Wilde dropped his three middle names early in life because, he said, his entire name was much too long for someone who would be as famous as he. Wilde is considered to be one of the greatest playwrights of late nineteenth century London. He is known for his genius, his brittle and clever wit, and his embrace of the aesthetic movement that advocated “Art for Art’s Sake.”* George Bernard Shaw wrote, “Mr. Wilde is to me our only serious playwright. He plays with everything: with wit, with philosophy, with drama, with actors, with audience, with the whole theater.” Dennis Huston, professor of English at Rice University, will discuss Wilde's works - their themes, characters, and dramatic emphases - and will enhance our understanding of what happens to great novels and plays when they are effectively adapted to film. Huston will critically examine and discuss the works with film excerpts in the above order. * Oscar Wilde's life and work was integrally tied to that of a number of the creative geniuses who will be discussed in this semester's seminar "Confronting the Paradox." A tumultuous relationship with Aubrey Beardsley began when Wilde invited Beardsley to illustrate Salome. Evidence of that play's enduring appeal can be found in the recent stage production by Al Pacino and his planned documentary film about it. To watch a video of Pacino discussing the play, visit Oscar Wilde's Salome. Read about the stage and film projects in the Guardian article, "Unveiled: Pacino's unsated desire for the Wilde Salome." In January, the first act of a new opera based on the life of Wilde premiered at the Granite State Opera. "At once flamboyant, introspective, comic, tragic and heroic, only the most comprehensive of all the performing arts can hope to capture Wilde's amazing life and personality." Listen at http://at.bc.edu/wildething/ Wilde heard John Ruskin lecture in Oxford and was inspired by him try to build a road through a swamp separating two villages. This experience, Wilde says in his 1882 American lecture, Art And The Handicraftsman, spurred him to create "an artistic movement that might change...the face of England." At the heart of that movement was William Morris. Other lectures given by Oscar Wilde during his 1882 tour in America can be found on the webpage Founders Of The Arts and Crafts Movement. Links to sites outside of The Houston Seminar are not under their control and The Houston Seminar is not responsible for the information or links you may find there. The presence of the link is not intended to imply The Houston Seminar endorsement.	Photo Source: http://www.emmedici.com/journeys/eire/cultura/letteratura/wilde.gif
Summer Seminar
Study Tour of the Italian Lakes
Wilde about Oscar
2006 Elections
Pittman McGehee and The Denial of Death
Philip Roth and his novels
Victorian England
Middle East Insights
Looted Art
Austin Study Tour
The Gospel of Judas