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Intentions
by
Oscar Wilde
Originally published in 1891 when Wilde was at the height of his form, these brilliant essays on art, literature, criticism, and society display the flamboyant poseur's famous wit and wide learning. A leading spokesman for the English Aesthetic movement, Wilde promoted "art for art's sake" against critics who argued that art must serve a moral purpose. On every page of thi...more
ebook
Published
July 17th 2009
by ReadHowYouWant
(first published 1891)
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Oscar Wilde was notorious for flamboyancy and wit, but only one of them comes across in Intentions - I'm sure you can guess which one. Intentions consists of a couple of Wilde's essays, and a couple more that masquerade as plays.
Now, when you think of an essay, it's only natural to think of a dry chunk of text that was written for an academic thesis on the most boring subject imaginable. Not so with Wilde - despite being over a hundred years old, his essays are genuinely intriguing and offer a u...more
Now, when you think of an essay, it's only natural to think of a dry chunk of text that was written for an academic thesis on the most boring subject imaginable. Not so with Wilde - despite being over a hundred years old, his essays are genuinely intriguing and offer a u...more
This is an 1891 collection of four essays reflecting on the process and purpose of criticism. In the main (and by far lengthiest) contribution, “The Critic as Artist,” we get a multi-act dialogue between two aesthetes, one a know-it-all pronouncing sweeping judgments on all works of art, belief systems, and relationships between Nature, Society, and Art (guess whose voice he embodies…) and the other a diffident supplicant who asks a lot of general questions, expresses astonishment at some outrag...more
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Excellent! If you are looking for a well-formed, consistent aesthetic philosophy, it's not here--Wilde's style is full of playful contradiction and reversal, but all in the service of the theme of beauty/art as the highest achievement of mankind, and its best goal. What it means to be artistic, the relation of history to art, the role of the reader, and the art object as practical, moral, or useful is all in flux in these essays, but each essay has a witty grace and meaning in and of itself. If...more
Wilde at his best is a delight; at his worst, he tends to kick himself in the ass. Both sides are present in this collection of four long essays mostly about criticism. Two of them are set up as dialogues, and they're a mess. One side of the dialogue is the arch critic, turning all truisms on their head. The other is the straw man who is knocked silly every time he utters even a mild conventionalism. They make Wilde seem a naughty prig and nothing more--except that occasionally he relaxes for a...more
I think I'm going to stick to Wilde's plays and poetry. I mean, seriously, I'm not in school anymore. Why do I still feel like I have to force myself to read this stuff, when I could be re-reading The Importance of Being Earnest or the Ballad of Reading Gaol instead?
Sep 05, 2011
Daniëlle
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
essays,
books-i-own
The only one I really liked was The Truth of Masks.
kad ću biti malo pametnija
I normally love wilde but this is very dated and mostly a critique of other writers
Already a fan of his work as portrayed on film and stage, having enjoyed his humor and ability to mock his characters and their practices.
Mr. Wilde's knowledge and ability with language are wonders to encounter. Had to pay attention when reading this, but feel I am better for having read it.
I will, undoubtedly, read more of his work.
Mr. Wilde's knowledge and ability with language are wonders to encounter. Had to pay attention when reading this, but feel I am better for having read it.
I will, undoubtedly, read more of his work.
I really struggled with this book. I couldn't get into it and because of that I think I probably missed the point of what this book was about. I actually felt quite stupid as I was trying to read it because I didn't understand it.
Oscar Wilde is really humorous and intriguing to read.
The problem is the book and its style wanes and becomes old.
And it's hard to read on the Iphone.
It is very funny and mind-boggling the first several chapters.
He is playing the Devil's Advocate mostly in this book, which is hard to wrap your mind around.
Chelsea Merkley
The problem is the book and its style wanes and becomes old.
And it's hard to read on the Iphone.
It is very funny and mind-boggling the first several chapters.
He is playing the Devil's Advocate mostly in this book, which is hard to wrap your mind around.
Chelsea Merkley
Not an interesting page turner and given the length of arguments which bore you to the core you might consider putting it down for something else.But the ideas in this book are quite deep and will make you realize things you should know about art and criticism.Is it worth the time?yes, it is constructive if you enjoy reading.
Brilliant.
The mask--the self-construct--is the important bit of us. All else is but clay...
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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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“Yesterday evening Mrs. Arundel insisted on my going to the window, and looking at the glorious sky, as she called it. Of course I had to look at it. She is one of those absurdly pretty Philistines to whom one can deny nothing. And what was it? It was simply a very second-rate Turner, a Turner of a bad period”
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