The Case of the Pederast's Wife

By Blossom Elfman and Clare Elfman

Book Overview

A young Victorian doctor seeks a miraculous cure for the "pederast's wife." This is a fascinating novel about the world of late Victorian England, the "new" medicine, sex and scandals, and a revealing portrait of the suffering woman who was in the shadows during the famous Oscar Wilde trial- his wife, Constance Wilde. Clare Elfman paints a vivid picture of this Victorian world: genteel rooms where gentlewomen buttoned to the throat and trapped in log-o-mutton sleeves take tea among the lady fern and aspidistra, while in hidden rooms a fin-de-siecle decadence culminates in the shocking trial of Oscar Wild for "gross indecency." "With skill and finesse, Elfman speculates on the strange marriage of Oscar and Constance Wilde.. Elfman uses fine period detail to create a Victorian setting in which her character's wickedly clever dialogue runs true." -Publishers Weekly

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802313329
• ISBN13: 9780802313324
• Release Date: February 2000
• Publisher: Dufour Editions
• Length: 200 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

A Fascinating Book About a Little Known Woman

The Case of the Pederast's Wife, by Blossom Elfman, is an incredibly well researched and written book. the first thing one notices is the quality of the writing and of the scholarship and research. Oscar Wilde was a complex and intereting character and until I read this quite marvelous book, I had no idea that he had a wife! He was, after all, an avowed homosexual. As one reads the book one comes to understand the restraints of the time Wilde and his wife, Constance, lived. Many books, plays and films have been written about Wilde, but Constance, his wife and mother of his two sons, has been neglected, even avoided. Applause and kudos to Ms. Elfman who had the intelligence and wit to discover Constance Wilde and to bring her to life in a wonderfully written book.