Oscar Wilde

The Critic as Artist (Upon the Importance of Doing Nothing and Discussing Everything)

Herausgeber: Moore, Andrew

• Broschiertes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

"Criticism is itself an art." This is one of the singular arguments in what must be one of Oscar Wilde's most compelling critical dialogues ever published. The Critic as Artist explores Wilde's defense of criticism through sharp, witty dialogue and riveting, thoughtful arguments. This theoretical dialogue uses prime examples to discuss many elements, such as criticism as an art form, the true definition of a critic, criticism's value over art, and more. A special treasure for admirers of Wilde and a welcome addition to any bookshelf, The Critic as Artist exemplifies the playwright's witty look on the world and his true love of art. --- About the author: Born in Dublin, Ireland in 1854, Oscar Wilde went on to become a prominent playwright, poet, and novelist all throughout the late Victorian Age. His many accomplishments in the field of writing have earned him praise as one of the most successful authors and playwrights of his era and beyond. He died in Paris in 1900 at the age of 46.

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: Mondial
• Seitenzahl: 124
• Erscheinungstermin: 15. Juni 2007
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 203mm x 127mm x 8mm
• Gewicht: 142g
• ISBN-13: 9781595690821
• ISBN-10: 1595690824
• Artikelnr.: 22983358

Autorenporträt

The Decay of Lying: An Observation By Oscar Wilde"The Decay of Lying - An Observation" is an essay by Oscar Wilde included in his collection of essays titled Intentions, published in 1891. This is a significantly revised version of the article that first appeared in the January 1889 issue of The Nineteenth Century.Wilde presents the essay in a Socratic dialogue between with Vivian and Cyril, two characters named after his own sons. Their conversation, though playful and whimsical, promotes Wilde's view of Romanticism over Realism. Vivian tells Cyril of an article he has been writing called "The Decay Of Lying: A Protest". According to Vivian, the decay of Lying "as an art, a science, and a social pleasure" is responsible for the decline of modern literature, which is excessively concerned with the representation of facts and social reality. He writes, "if something cannot be done to check, or at least to modify, our monstrous worship of facts, Art will become sterile and beauty will pass away from the land." Moreover, Vivian defends the idea that Life imitates Art far more than vice versa. Nature, he argues, is no less an imitation of Art than Life. Vivian also contends that Art is never representative of a time or place: rather, "the highest art rejects the burden of the human spirit [...] She develops purely on her own lines. She is not symbolic of any age." Vivian thus defends Aestheticism and the concept of "art for art's sake". At Cyril's behest, Vivian briefly summarizes the doctrines of the "new aesthetics" in the following terms:Art never expresses anything but itself.All bad art comes from returning to Life and Nature, and elevating them into ideals.Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life. It follows as a corollary that external Nature also imitates Art.Lying, the telling of beautiful untrue things, is the proper aim of Art.The essay ends with the two characters going outside, as Cyril asked Vivian to do at the beginning of the essay. Vivian finally complies, saying that twilight nature's "chief use" may be to "illustrate quotations from the poets."As Michèle Mendelssohn points out, "in an era when sociology was still in its infancy, psychology wasn't yet a discipline, and theories of performativity were still a long way off, Wilde's essay touched on a profound truth about human behaviour in social situations. The laws of etiquette governing polite society were, in fact, a mask. Tact was merely an elaborate art of impression management."