Constance

The Tragic and Scandalous Life of Mrs. Oscar Wilde

By: Franny Moyle

Narrated by: Sarah Nichols

The story of the woman at the center of the most famous scandal of the nineteenth century.

In the spring of 1895, the life of Constance Wilde changed irrevocably. Up until the conviction of her husband, Oscar, for homosexual crimes, she had held a privileged position in society. Part of a gilded couple, she was a popular children’s author, a fashion icon, and a leading campaigner for women’s rights. A founding member of the magical society The Golden Dawn, her pioneering and questioning spirit encouraged her to sample some of the more controversial aspects of her time. Mrs. Oscar Wilde was a phenomenon in her own right. But that spring, Constance’s entire life was eclipsed by scandal. Forced to flee to the Continent with her two sons, her glittering literary and political career ended abruptly. She lived in exile until her death.

Franny Moyle now tells Constance’s story with a fresh eye. Drawing on numerous unpublished letters, she brings to life the story of a woman at the heart of fin-de-siecle London and the Aesthetic movement. In a compelling and moving tale of an unlikely couple caught up in a world unsure of its moral footing, Moyle unveils the story of a woman who was the victim of one of the greatest betrayals of all time.

©2011 by Franny Moyle (P)2022 by Blackstone Publishing

"The Importance of Being CONSTANCE..."

I don't know why I was curious to pick up this tale - I love the genre of memoir and didn't know anything about Constance Holland Wilde. Loving the wit of Oscar Wilde, I thought it might be interesting to meet the woman who might have influenced the brilliant Oscar Wilde quote: "Be Yourself...Everyone Else is Already Taken." Constance Wilde was a pioneer in her own right - smart, innovative, literate, formidable, creative, sensible, and politically progressive – who was also an independent thinker and lovingly loyal. The scandals she had to live through and endure were no doubt brutal. Oscar Wilde's very brazen attempt to live freely and explore his homosexual nature at a time when it was dangerous to do so meant it was also challenging for his wife –  who often had to find legal workarounds for their lives, family, and friends who had sympathy for them both and tried to help make the best of a no-win situation.

Much of Constance's motivation was spent trying to find an outlet for her own creative identity which included her involvement as a social and political influencer, fashion pioneer, creative writer and poet – at the same time trying to properly raise the couple's two young sons Cyril and Vyvyan because of Oscar's unpredictable absences. Their marriage was no doubt difficult - but there seemed to be a genuine friendship and compatibility of fondness and trust between them until Oscar's behavior left her feeling exasperated and betrayed.

It's always amazing to me that biographers and memoirists are able to reconstruct a period in history that was so long ago - and uncover ample evidence of events, states of mind, and other sumptuous details from days gone by. Sarah Nichol's narration is elegant and swift - not pretending to put on character voices or embellish the story with her own point of view. Putting pen to paper was such the trusted way - and hoping that only the intended recipient received the juicy words inside - no matter how long the distance the letter traveled is really a marvel of miracles. I recently listened to "The Magician" by Colm Toibin on Audible which was a biography of the writer Thomas Mann (who also enjoyed a secret homosexual life while staying married and fathering six children). That so much of Mann's secret life survived because of correspondence saved really helps the writer paint a truer portrait that would have been totally lost to history without it. Quite fascinating.