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13th out of 289 books
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364 voters
Complete Works of Oscar Wilde
The Collins Complete Works of Oscar Wilde is the only truly complete and authoritative single-volume edition of Oscar Wilde’s works, and is available in both paperback and this hardback edition.
Continuously in print since 1948, the Collins Complete Works of Oscar Wilde has long been recognised as the most comprehensive and authoritative single-volume collection of Wilde’s...more
Continuously in print since 1948, the Collins Complete Works of Oscar Wilde has long been recognised as the most comprehensive and authoritative single-volume collection of Wilde’s...more
Hardcover, 1246 pages
Published
August 4th 2003
by Collins
(first published 1927)
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So essential it's not even funny. Not a better writer in the English language. Also if one can have a hero in this world, I think Wilde can fit that bill. He maybe the first writer that I realize was a rebel of sorts. My first actual rock n' roll figure that I looked up to.
I started reading Wilde as a young teenager - due to the fact that he seemed to be the most glamourous figure in literature. Most of my high school friends were into the Beats or such toss as Jonathan Bach, but Wilde was my (a...more
I started reading Wilde as a young teenager - due to the fact that he seemed to be the most glamourous figure in literature. Most of my high school friends were into the Beats or such toss as Jonathan Bach, but Wilde was my (a...more
Wilde has such a gift with phrasing, I always think about how parallel he seems to me with Ryan Adams. So many accolades so early, then such a fever to tear him apart.
Here's a few quotes:
A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal.
A man can be happy with any woman as long as he does not love her.
Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.
America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between.
Anyone...more
Here's a few quotes:
A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal.
A man can be happy with any woman as long as he does not love her.
Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.
America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between.
Anyone...more
I actually hate having all my Wilde in one volume. When I lived in my studio apartment and found myself alone of an evening, I would sometimes make tea and cucumber sandwiches and curl up to re-read The Importance of Being Earnest. But now I've got this great big book which refuses to be curled up with -- I should never have sold my individual Earnest. Still, it's nice to have access to Wilde-ian works I probably wouldn't own otherwise.
Jan 07, 2013
Jacob
marked it as to-read
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Jacob by:
Maureen
Psst! Hey, Maureen, look what I found!
2 likes · like · see review
Jul 19, 2012
El
is currently reading it
This review is a work-in-progress. I'm reading this whole collection, but will be reviewing the individual reads separately as I go along, so don't be all confused by the otherwise seemingly random posting of Wilde stories and plays.
I am going to skip reading The Picture of Dorian Gray because I read that just a few years ago. My review is behind that link; knock yourself out.
Individual reviews will be linked here as I go along, just to really annoy everyone each time it pops up in their updates...more
I am going to skip reading The Picture of Dorian Gray because I read that just a few years ago. My review is behind that link; knock yourself out.
Individual reviews will be linked here as I go along, just to really annoy everyone each time it pops up in their updates...more
When I first read this I wasnt necessarily a fan of Oscar Wilde. I was just curious about his work and i realized the easiest and fastest way to read his work was just to buy the book and call it a day.
Overall a very interesting and relatively quick read. Interesting in the sense that you're getting everything. You get background history, the fairy tales, plays, novel, essays. Quick in the fact that most everything in this book you can just breeze through with no real issue.
The only problem for...more
Overall a very interesting and relatively quick read. Interesting in the sense that you're getting everything. You get background history, the fairy tales, plays, novel, essays. Quick in the fact that most everything in this book you can just breeze through with no real issue.
The only problem for...more
May 14, 2012
Courtney
marked it as to-read
Shelves:
library,
league-of-ex-gents,
irish-authors,
european-authors,
z-19th-century,
fiction,
short-stories,
plays,
poetry,
dark-and-stormy-night,
step-back-in-time,
literature-classic,
drama,
fantasy-and-magic,
gothic-macabre,
supernatural-and-paranormal,
cozy-cup-of-tea,
full-of-light-and-whimsy,
once-upon-a-time,
mythology-folklore-fairytales,
childrens-classics,
sentimental-journey,
bawdy,
comedy-humor-wit,
satire-and-parodies,
tragedy,
romance,
compilations-anthologies,
compilations-florilegium,
author-omnibus,
opera-omnia
1) The Picture of Dorian Gray
2) Lord Arthur Savile's Crime
3) The Canterville Chost
4) The Sphinx Without a Secret
5) The Model Millionaire
6) The Young King
7) The Birthday of the Infanta
8) The Fisherman and His Soul
9) The Star-Child
10) The Happy Prince
11) The Nightingale and the Rose
12) The Selfish Giant
13) The Devoted Friend
15) The Remarkable Rocket
16) The Importance of Being Earnest
17) Lady Windermere's Fan
18) A Woman of No Importance
19) An Ideal Husband
20) Salome
21) The Duchess of Padua
22) Vera,...more
2) Lord Arthur Savile's Crime
3) The Canterville Chost
4) The Sphinx Without a Secret
5) The Model Millionaire
6) The Young King
7) The Birthday of the Infanta
8) The Fisherman and His Soul
9) The Star-Child
10) The Happy Prince
11) The Nightingale and the Rose
12) The Selfish Giant
13) The Devoted Friend
15) The Remarkable Rocket
16) The Importance of Being Earnest
17) Lady Windermere's Fan
18) A Woman of No Importance
19) An Ideal Husband
20) Salome
21) The Duchess of Padua
22) Vera,...more
Dec 25, 2010
DalalK.
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
poetry,
plays,
classics,
victorian,
2010,
children,
drama,
favourites,
short-fiction,
comedy
Plays:
The Importance of Being Earnest ***** Favourites
An Ideal Husband ***** Favourites (Blackmail)
Lady Windermere's Fan **
A Woman of No Importance ***** Favourites (Woman's Guilt)
The Sainte Courtisane *
A Florentine Tragedy **
Stories:
Lord Arthur Savile's Crime ***
The Happy Prince ***** Favourites (A very touching story about poverty & social unjustice)
The Young King ***** Favourites (Moral: sympathy & compassion)
The Star-Child ***** Favourites (Heart breaking story. Moral: karma pay...more
The Importance of Being Earnest ***** Favourites
An Ideal Husband ***** Favourites (Blackmail)
Lady Windermere's Fan **
A Woman of No Importance ***** Favourites (Woman's Guilt)
The Sainte Courtisane *
A Florentine Tragedy **
Stories:
Lord Arthur Savile's Crime ***
The Happy Prince ***** Favourites (A very touching story about poverty & social unjustice)
The Young King ***** Favourites (Moral: sympathy & compassion)
The Star-Child ***** Favourites (Heart breaking story. Moral: karma pay...more
Oscar Wilde is always so delightful, although what disturbing children's stories! I certainly would never read those stories to a child, with the exception of 'The Remarkable Rocket'. My favorite short stories were 'Lord Arthur Savile's Crime' and 'The Canterville Ghost'.
Reading all the plays back to back does cause them to blend together just a bit, he had a habit of reusing his favorite lines over and over again. Overall I would say I enjoyed 'Vera' (The Nihilists) the most, which was the onl...more
Reading all the plays back to back does cause them to blend together just a bit, he had a habit of reusing his favorite lines over and over again. Overall I would say I enjoyed 'Vera' (The Nihilists) the most, which was the onl...more
1 like · like · see review
I love Oscar Wilde. His tales have been part of my life since I was a child. In my teenager years his plays were the "shelter" when I felt sad. His work is wonderful, but, in this special edition, you can find everything he wrote, even the poems (which are not so good as his other works to me). I have a 1968 edition of this Collins Classics with beautiful illustrations and a great introduction by Vyvyan Holland. Beautiful edition!
Wow - why had a not read Oscar Wilde before? He immediately jumped to the top of my list of favorite authors...and easily at that! I love how an author who wrote over 100 years ago can make me laugh out loud; I love that his jabs at Americans are still relevant. So far the Canterville Ghost is my favorite, and I am currently reading the Picture of Dorian Gray.
Oscar Wilde is fabulous, and clever, and impossibly witty and Oscar Wilde knows it. Do yourself a favor, don't read this cover to cover - a little bit of Wilde goes a long way!
Random thoughts:
I was disappointed to find that the popular culture image of Dorian Grey didn't quite live up to the actual written depiction of him. Apparently the Victorian's were easily horrified, and I found some of the examples of his debauchery to be head scratchers. Especially his tendency to collect jewels and tap...more
Random thoughts:
I was disappointed to find that the popular culture image of Dorian Grey didn't quite live up to the actual written depiction of him. Apparently the Victorian's were easily horrified, and I found some of the examples of his debauchery to be head scratchers. Especially his tendency to collect jewels and tap...more
Mar 28, 2009
Spencer
added it
What can I say? You either love Wilde or you don't understand him, and I love him.
I read De Profundis. If you haven’t already, you should too. It’s stunning - an incredibly moving, profound and beautifully written piece of prose. Wilde, languishing alone in Reading Gaol, approaching the end of his two-year sentence for gross indecency, is writing to Lord Alfred Douglas, the vain, empty-headed, upper-crust young man whose outrageous, selfish behaviour brought him to ruin. In his letter, Wilde talks of the misery and shame he has endured since his conviction and imprisonment. H...more
I should write another review for Edgar Allan Poe sometime (I frequently refer to both Poe and Wilde as "The Man")...but first, Oscar Wilde's anthology.
Wow, I've probably still more than half of this collection to get through, though I've read "De Profundis" (Mr. Wilde's 80-page letter to Bosie, written while he was in prison) several times. Over, and over, from beginning to end, and for some reason, it gets better and better with each read.
As Oscar Wilde states himself (is there a more brillian...more
Wow, I've probably still more than half of this collection to get through, though I've read "De Profundis" (Mr. Wilde's 80-page letter to Bosie, written while he was in prison) several times. Over, and over, from beginning to end, and for some reason, it gets better and better with each read.
As Oscar Wilde states himself (is there a more brillian...more
This writer is truely amazing.
I enjoyed "A Picture of Dorian Gray" as well as "The Importance of Being Earnest" imensly.
However, i found "The Ballad of Reading Gaol" to be my favorite piece of writing by Wilde.
The emotion behind it is astounding.
It was his final piece of writing before his death. The last thing he had the chance to say and he spoke of the horrors thrust upon him in prison. It is a magnificent poem.
i now find myself quoting Wilde all to often.
My favorite writer of the momen...more
I enjoyed "A Picture of Dorian Gray" as well as "The Importance of Being Earnest" imensly.
However, i found "The Ballad of Reading Gaol" to be my favorite piece of writing by Wilde.
The emotion behind it is astounding.
It was his final piece of writing before his death. The last thing he had the chance to say and he spoke of the horrors thrust upon him in prison. It is a magnificent poem.
i now find myself quoting Wilde all to often.
My favorite writer of the momen...more
Perhaps at his best when writing his incomparable children's stories and at his worst when writing poetry Wilde remains a brilliant author. Only his popularity makes his plays a little tough as everything has been seen and heard - still great though.
A must-have for every lover of literature. Oscar Wilde is a writer like no other. His words speak directly to one's heart, their soul, their subconsciousness.. He changed the way I understood writing and reading entirely, made me fall in love with his every word and get lost in his ideas, his thoughts, his world.
I was 13 or 14 when I first picked up a paperback copy of his complete works on a whim. I remember feeling a little doubtful for buying such an expensive book from an author I had never...more
I was 13 or 14 when I first picked up a paperback copy of his complete works on a whim. I remember feeling a little doubtful for buying such an expensive book from an author I had never...more
I spent a year reading Collins Complete Works of Oscar Wilde and don't regret about half of it. He was clearly a very unique, talented, and opinionated man. Most of his works were 'perfectly delightful' as he would say, but some were clearly above my reading level...or just not of interest to me.
When I did enjoy something like The Picture of Dorian Gray, most of the short stories and plays, particularly The Importance of Being Earnest, or the essays De Profundis, Two Letters to the Daily Chroni...more
When I did enjoy something like The Picture of Dorian Gray, most of the short stories and plays, particularly The Importance of Being Earnest, or the essays De Profundis, Two Letters to the Daily Chroni...more
For me, Oscar Wilde has always stood out amongst his contemporaries. Something about his writing allows him to present complex ideas in an elegant way without lacking clarity. In plays such as The Important of Being Earnest, his humour is so cutting that it is has endured the last 100 years of social developments and the emersion of modern comedy. His wit is not at the expense of emotional attachment with his characters and narratives. The tenderness of his poetry portrays the tragedy of much of...more
This is THE book. Oscar Wilde writes with so much heart. His stories just ooze heart. Of all of his writings, Dorian Grey is probably my least favorite, and it is a masterpiece! The Happy Prince will tear your heart out. It is the most beautiful story I have ever read in my entire life. It is one of the things in my life that touched my heart so deeply that all I could do was cry at it's raw, pure, beauty. Every story has that same pure loveliness. This is a book that you can read over and over...more
A fabulous collection of Oscar Wilde's work.
You could read the book cover to cover if you so desired, or dip in and out of it as and when the mood suits.
Full of incredibly profound and moving work, some of the children's stories in particular are just heartbreaking.
The Ballard of Reading Gaol is a suburb piece of poetry and is worth a read even if poetry isn't your thing.
All in all a great compilation, I don't think this book could really be improved on.
On a side note, Morrisey (previously of T...more
You could read the book cover to cover if you so desired, or dip in and out of it as and when the mood suits.
Full of incredibly profound and moving work, some of the children's stories in particular are just heartbreaking.
The Ballard of Reading Gaol is a suburb piece of poetry and is worth a read even if poetry isn't your thing.
All in all a great compilation, I don't think this book could really be improved on.
On a side note, Morrisey (previously of T...more
I haven't read the complete works but I did finish Dorian Grey. It was interesting and a bit strange. I think the concept of the evil in a persons life can affect the way they look is valid.
I am reading some of his children's stories and I like them more. I find myself laughing out loud I've them. They have more of the feel of the Importance of Being Earnest. I also read one of the plays called the Nihilist which was very dramatic but interesting. Not sure how much more I will read of the comple...more
I am reading some of his children's stories and I like them more. I find myself laughing out loud I've them. They have more of the feel of the Importance of Being Earnest. I also read one of the plays called the Nihilist which was very dramatic but interesting. Not sure how much more I will read of the comple...more
I LURE Oscar Wilde. He is not just the most talented poet ever but also the most controversial person in history, at least for me. I love all his poems and can't wait to read "Portrait...". His quotes infuenced my life so much. For exmple one quote "Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much. " Is not it just the smartest quote ever! At first i found it a little hard to read his poems but after i got use to them they were like air to me. Imortant, but not hard to operate.
Jun 22, 2010
Angela Alcorn
marked it as to-read
We own some of this as part of an omnibus with 5 plays (The Importance of Being Earnest, Lady Windermere's Fan, A Woman of No Importance, An Ideal Husband, Salomé): The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays
Los cuentos tienen unos finales simples y reales a pesar de lo "fantástico" del cuento.
My mistake was reading this all in one go. I started out with Dorian Gray, thought it was excellent and enjoyed the style. So I ploughed on through enjoying every story successively less until I wanted to beat him over the head with his own repetitive superior snide self-satisfied witticisms. A real shame because if read individually I'm sure I'd have loved them. Chain reading Wodehouse never produced the same violent response though.
I grumbled about having to read Dorian Gray in school... and ended up reading the remainder of Wilde's writings on my own. There's a lot of genre-hopping, from The Ballad of Reading Gaol's epic chronicling our self destructive tendancies to The Importance of Being Earnest's witty humor and Salomé's semi-historical viscerality. Rewarding reading if you can push through Wilde's verbose and wide-ranging styles.
He has such quotable quotes! Though half the time you have to stop and think, "but is that true, do I believe that or does it just sound good". It is better to read his stuff separately with some time in between since there is a lot of repetition in his witting (I mean writeing, ha ha). I also think that in Oscar Wilde we see the birth of the clever, witty type of British humor that we see on PBS today. :-)
Great art we are told needs great tragedy. Certainly this collection of Wildes poems seem to illustrate that. The mannered intelectual posing of his early work. seems meaningless compares with the great emotional and structural simplicity that is The Ballad of Reading Gaol. If you dont have a copy of that then by all means get this book. If you do. then I see little point in having the remainder.
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Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish playwright, poet and author of numerous short stories and one novel. Known for his biting wit, and a plentitude of aphorisms, he became one of the most successful playwrights of the late Victorian era in London, and one of the greatest celebrities of his day. Several of his plays continue to be widely performed, especially The Importance of Being E...more
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1 trivia question
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“And when wind and winter harden
All the loveless land,
It will whisper of the garden,
You will understand.”
—
4 people liked it
All the loveless land,
It will whisper of the garden,
You will understand.”
“One cannot always keep an adder in one's breast to feed one, nor rise up every night to sow thorns in the garden of one's soul.”
—
1 person liked it
More quotes…
Jan 15, 2008 07:19am
Feb 12, 2012 11:23am