Crime and Justice in the Victorian Era: The Case of Oscar Wilde

The Victorian Era was characterized by a rising in industry and reforms, but at the same time crime, prostitution and drugs were frequent among the English population. Many authors tried to put in writing this discomfort, better known as “Victorian Compromise”: among them is the Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde. Having spent part of his life in prison on charges of sodomy, Wilde wrote some works concerning crime and justice, highlighting the connection between art, beauty and crime and trying to denounce the injustices in the prisons of the time.