I greatly enjoyed both the thorough examination of many important Wilde critics of the 1990s and the sensible point of view. The author defends clear writing and makes a forceful defense of biographically and psychologically based criticism, enlisting Wilde's own remarks in her argument. Her criticism of literary jargon is occasionally biting, and justifiably so. This is a book not for the politically correct, but rather the openminded scholar or student of literature. It is safe to say that Wilde himself would have enjoyed it.

Professor Knox offers a splendid overview and critique of contemporary Oscar Wilde criticism. She illustrates how "-ism-guided" approaches tend to utilize Wilde for their own agendas rather than trying to come to terms with the contradictory and fascinating nature of his oeuvre. This book is a must read for any Wilde scholar as well as for advanced students pursuing work on Wilde or on approaches to literature.

It is remarkable that this sensationalistic and inaccuate text has gained the respect and attention that it has amassed both among the scholarly and popular press alike. Knox's "research" is pure Freudian fantasy, and her thesis reliant upon hyperbole and a serious misreading of Wilde's work and more importantly (for the sake of her argument), his family dynamics. The success of this book is puzzling to me as a Wilde scholar; there are enough factual inaccuracies and flights of rhetorical fancy here to lead me to conclude that the educated, late-20th century reader, like his Victorian counterpart, loves a good scandal enough to ignore both logic and whatever overwhelming evidence may prove to the contrary. Scholarship this certainly is not; I recommend those curious about Wilde's life and work attend to Ellmann, Freedman and other scholarly Wilde critics and biographers for more factual and less trendy fare. As a Ph. D. candidate in Victorian Literature and long-time Wildean scholar, I was surprised and disappointed with both Knox's premise and her text.

I'm a graduate student studying Wilde, and really appreciated this thoughtful and challenging book. So much of the scholarship on the most interesting issues--gender, sexuality, identity--is original only in its jargonistic neologisms. This book is different: straightforward, solidly researched, beautifully written, and sympathetic to Wilde.

This is simply the best book on Oscar Wilde that I've ever read. A must read for Wilde scholars and an enjoyable read for Wilde enthusiasts.