In the Victorian era, citizens valued respect and honor among themselves and focused society on decorum. Often the very principles on which this era was built have been contradicted and wrong, but few have chosen to challenge this broken culture. Oscar Wilde, the scintillating and daring author, playwright and poet of this strict period, presented his own way of writing that changed the world of literature forever. He became a leader of the aesthetic movement in prudish society, a figure who continues to inspire the homosexual community, and introduced a dynamic way of writing to the modern world. Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was born on 16 October 1854, to William and Jane Wilde, at 21 Westland Row, Dublin, Ireland. Oscar's father, William, was one of Ireland's most respected surgeons and authors, while his mother, Jane, was a poet and went by the pen name "Speranza". Oscar was the second of their three children, but he also had three half-siblings on his father's side. Oscar and his two siblings were raised in an artistic atmosphere, particularly due to his mother's profession and personality. Enjoying the cultured and privileged life at home, Oscar first attended Portora Royal School in Enniskillen, Ireland, at the age of nine. At the age of thirteen, Oscar suffered the death of his sister and dedicated one of his first poems to his dear sister. Sixteen-year-old Oscar was enrolled at Trinity College, Dublin, and acquired proficiency in the Greek language. On a scholarship, Oscar enrolled at Oxford in 1874, where he studied alongside Slade Professor of Fine Arts, John Ruskin and Walter Pater. Fortunately, Ruskin and Pater were the two professors Oscar most wanted to meet during...... middle of paper ......e two professors Oscar most wanted to meet while he was at Oxford. His teachers had a considerable impact on the development of the perspective he had in his writings and inspired Oscar to participate in the Aesthetic Movement "a late 19th century artistic and literary movement based on the motto "art for art” and arguing that art should not be utilitarian or practical” (dictionary.com). The clothes he wore were sumptuous, his mannerisms were stylish, and he let his hair grow long and wavy. His dandyism showed his contribution to aestheticism as he rebelled against the moralistic ways of his time. Walter Pater's teachings about the arts helped shape Wilde's vision as he continued to grow. Oscar was strongly influenced by Pater's views on art and his belief in art for art's sake. While he was studying at Oxford, many people analyzed and criticized his avant-garde lifestyle.