Chapter 19, Pentonville, Wandsworth, and Reading Summary

Rock bottom presents itself to Wilde in prison, but not right away. He spends a short time in Holloway, starting in early June, where he receives his drab prison clothing, hears the rules, and eats his first prison meal. His next stop is Pentonville. Oscar's health deteriorates rapidly in the harsh prison environment. R.B. Haldane, an earlier acquaintance of Wilde's and a member of the Home Office committee that investigates prisons, arranges for a transfer from Pentonville to Wandsworth on July 4, 1895. This prison is slightly better, but still full of suffering. Wilde continues to deteriorate and worries about his mental stability. Harding again arranges for a transfer, this time to Reading prison on November 21, a step upward for Oscar, but still harsh.

While imprisoned Wilde hears of his mother's death and funeral, which he...