{"product_id":"the-ballad-of-reading-gaol-9781646793198","title":"The Ballad of Reading Gaol","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"Like two doomed ships that pass in storm\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe had crossed each other's way: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut we made no sign, we said no word, \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe had no word to say\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e-Oscar Wilde, \u003cem\u003eThe Ballad of Reading Gaol\u003c\/em\u003e (1898)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e The poem \u003cem\u003eThe Ballad of Reading Gaol\u003c\/em\u003e (1898) by Oscar Wilde, was inspired by the two years he spent in the jail of Reading Gaol, England. There he experienced the hanging of Royal Horse Guards trooper Charles Thomas Wooldridge, convicted for the murder of his wife. This poem, dedicated to Wooldridge, describes not only his execution, but is also an indictment of the Victorian penal system and a plea for reform of prison conditions.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis poem, Wilde's last publication, was very successful and assured he had a steady income until his death at a young age in 1900.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWilde, Oscar:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - OSCAR WILDE (1854-1900) was a celebrated Irish-born playwright, short story writer, poet, and personality in Victorian London. He is best known for his involvement in the aesthetic movement and his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, as well as his many plays, such as Lady Windermere's Fan, The Importance of Being Earnest, A Woman of No Importance, and An Ideal Husband. During his imprisonment for gross indecency, he wrote De Profundis and The Ballad of Reading Gaol.","brand":"Cosimo Classics","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50379866046738,"sku":"9781646793198","price":6.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_a59cd7c2-7bae-4a71-b1fe-84c25ba21e63.jpg?v=1748686096","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-ballad-of-reading-gaol-9781646793198","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}