Oscar Wilde was once vibrant and full of life, but the trial and his subsequent imprisonment destroyed him--mentally and physically. On May 19, 1897, Wilde was released from jail. He died just three years after being released from prison, in November of 1900.

Historically, it was believed that Oscar Wilde died from syphilis, but more recent studies have reported that he died of a severe ear infection. According to Dr. Ashley Robins, with the University of Cape Town in South Africa, "Oscar Wilde died of meningoencephalitis secondary to chronic right middle-ear disease."

Take a look at a few works, from Oscar Wilde.

In The Ballad of Reading Gaol, Oscar Wilde wrote:

"In Reading gaol by Reading town
There is a pit of shame,
And in it lies a wretched man
Eaten by teeth of flame,
In a burning winding-sheet he lies,
And his grave has got no name."

Read more about Oscar Wilde.

Cover Art © HarperCollins.

On occasion, I get into some rather interesting conversations about the classics, and whether it's snobbish and unrealistic to expect readers to appreciate works by William Shakespeare or Charles Dickens. After all, those works are from a far-off time and place. I've heard that the struggle to get any understanding or enjoyment only serves to discourage readers (and students in particular) from reading at all.

While it's true that some works of literature are more difficult to read than others, I've worked with students who have gained a great deal of insight (and yes, even appreciation) as they made their way through required reading. I've been reading classics since my earliest reading days, and I haven't forgotten how difficult some books have been to forage my way through. I also know that I cherish some of those very books--for the wonderful treasures that I was able to unearth in those pages.

So, I can't bring myself to believe that it's at all unrealistic to encourage (and even demand) that students appreciate/love the classics: Shakespeare, Dickens, Chaucer, Whitman, Thoreau, Hawthorne--as age appropriate (but even so, why discourage students from trying books that are deemed to difficult for them to grasp?). The classics offer insight into the development of literature, into our written word, and into human nature. The times are different; the language may be fraught with archaic terminology; but many of the truths and themes are the same. We learn and grow; love and laugh; come into this world and pass away; cherish life and destroy it.

So, what does it mean to be a snob? Are you one? Am I one? Must you necessarily be a snob if you enjoy a good book--a classic, a book that was first published 50 years ago (or more)?

Take a look at Am I a Snob?, as Sean Latham explores not only the origins of the term but what it has come to mean for writers. Then, join the discussion: "Do you see yourself as a literary snob or literary elitist?"