Wilde Initiates Libel Suit Against the Marquess of Queensberry
Poet involved
What happened
After the Marquess of Queensberry publicly accused Wilde of homosexuality in London, England, Wilde, urged by Lord Alfred Douglas, sued for criminal libel. The disastrous trial exposed evidence that led to Wilde's own prosecution.
Literary impact
The collapse of the libel case set in motion the criminal trials and imprisonment that transformed Wilde's public image and profoundly shaped the anguished, penitential tone of his later prison writings.
Source: Wikipedia
