Originally posted on e-Tinkerbell.
Whenever I think about Constance Lloyd Wilde, and what she had to endure, all alone in an age when it was important to be “earnest”, respectable and have the sense of decorum, I cannot help but wonder: what was her marriage like? When did she understand about her husband’s sexual behaviour? How did she feel? Let’s start from the beginning.
As far as we know, Constance first met Wilde at a party given by Lady Wilde for her two sons at Merrion Square in Dublin on 6 June 1881. Constance was a passionate reader of poetry and discovered soon that Wilde shared with her a deep admiration for Keats. On the following day, she wrote to her brother Otho:
“O. W. came yesterday at about 5.30 (by which time I was shaking with fright!) and stayed for half an hour, begged me to come and see his mother again soon…. I can’t help liking him, because when he’s talking to me alone he’s never a bit affected, and speaks naturally, excepting that he uses better language than most people.”
The following months, she slowly grew attached to him, but her parents were not that impressed by Wilde’s extravagance and furthermore, the eccentricities of his parents were notorious. Somebody asserts that Wilde was more interested in her family ‘s wealth than Constance herself, but some others, like Ann Clark Amor, believe that…
I’m always enthralled with these passionate love stories… of true life…
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Times were so restrictive for women, at that time…she probably loved his freedom. What woman wouldn’t? Things have changed in certain ways but women are still held back/down with childrearing and responsibility while men can flit from one to another unencumbered by their children or even financial responsibility. Women are trained to hold the world together with their bare hands while fighting a constant war with nothing but their intelligence, determination and strength. That is getting old and tiresome, don’t you think?
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Very tiresome.
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Definitely.
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Fascinating. Thanks for sharing the link.
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Pleasure.
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Thanks for sharing. I’ve loved Oscar Wilde since I was quite young and I’m always fascinated by anything about him.
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There’s no question about it – he’s irresistible!
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Such a sad and complex story, Sarah. And yet, it’s the first time I’ve read about her. Thanks for sharing this post.
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Very sad. It was the first time I’d read about her too.
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Often “real” stories are the most interesting of all. Thanks for sharing this one, Sarah. I love her portrait too. Hugs!
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They certainly are, Teagan. Thanks so much for dropping in with your magic touch. 😀
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