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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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The Ballad of Reading Gaol
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(1898) Narrative poem by *Wilde, written after his release from prison. He deliberately borrows the rhythms and vivid imagery of The *Ancient Mariner to conjure up similar horrors, in this case those of prison life. The central event had happened while Wilde was himself in Reading jail – the hanging of a soldier who had slit his wife's throat. Part of Wilde's theme is that we are all guilty of cruelty, for 'each man kills the thing he loves', if not by violence then with a bitter look, a flattering word or a false kiss.
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