The Daily Chronicle, now known as the Daily Mail. The Daily Chronicle was a daily British newspaper that published and functioned under that name from 1872-1930 until merger with Daily News; it ceased publication on 17 October 1960 as it was being absorbed into the Daily Mail. It was the best selling daily newspaper in Britain throughout the 1890s, when the review of Wilde’s novel was published. The Daily Chronicle wasn’t just sold in Britain though, but it was also widely circulated in the thirteen colonies. 

The Chronicle prided itself on being left of center politically and supported the radical wing of the Liberal Party. This was its position when it published its review on Wilde’s novel. 

The reviewer believes that anyone who comes in contact with the book will be tainted, but otherwise is “harmless padding,” meaning that the book was full of unnecessary material that was introduced to make it reach a desired length (Bell [11]). So, this review criticized Wilde’s talent, ability to write about the supernatural, and misunderstood the moral of the story. It was also slightly homophobic. This point of view and misunderstanding of the novel would go across Britain and its colonies.