The Ballad of Reading Gaol

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This engaging summary presents an analysis of The Ballad of Reading Gaol by Oscar Wilde, a long-form poem based on his own experiences as an inmate in Reading Gaol. Drawing on classical and religious motifs, the poem paints a vivid portrait of the injustices of the late Victorian prison system, focusing on the character of an unnamed soldier who has been sentenced to death for a crime the narrator of the poem claims all people are guilty of in the ballad’s most famous refrain: “each man kills the thing he loves”. Oscar Wilde was one of the most fascinating authors of the 19th century, known as much for his witticisms as for his writing. His most notable works include the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray and the comic plays An Ideal Husband and The Importance of Being Earnest.