To what extent can Oscar Wilde's plays and stories be read as serious social criticism?

I think that analysis of the themes of these plays might
be a very good start in terms of assessing their socially critical value.  Even before
this, it might be helpful to assert that Wilde, himself, must have been compelled to
offer some level of insight on the society around him.  Wilde was subject to censorship
and publication blackouts because of who he was and the supposed threat that he, as a
homosexual, posed to the prevailing social order ofr the time.  This might be an
indication that there is some level of social criticism in his work.  If Wilde did not
feature this level of critique, then there would be little reason to subject him to
censorship and seek to eliminate him from public literary records.  I think that Wilde's
greatest social criticism exists in how he critiques individuals who comprise prevailing
social perceptions and beliefs.  For example in The Picture of Dorian
Gray, Wilde offers criticism of the hedonistic and self- serving philosophies
that guided individuals of the time period.  These attitudes found their way in social
orders and the society of the time and in this light, the critique of society rests in
the critique of its individuals.  Victorian social morals and practices were the targets
of Wilde's work, The Importance of Being Earnest, suggesting again
that the critique of individual actions can be seen in a larger social
context.