charming and wise

Mycket bra sammanställning av Oscar Wildes kvickheter, sorterad efter ämne. Naturligtvis är det bäst att läsa hans texter i original, kvickheterna i sitt sammanhang, annars blir det lite mastigt och ytligt. Kontext behövs för att fördjupa tankarna. Detta är ändå bra att ha i bokhyllan.

This is a fun little collection of various quips taken from Wilde's fiction, essays and personal conversations. The reader needs to understand that these lines are not necessarily what Wilde himself actually thought about art, culture or society--given that they're often delivered by fictional characters crafted by Wilde. The characters found in "The Importance Of Being Earnest", for instance, were vain hypocrites. Wilde himself was vain, of course, but was using these characters to poke fun at society.

Each of the quotations are attributed to the works from which they were drawn, and the works are listed at the end. Of course now I have to get ahold of those works so I can read them...which I'll do. How can I not, having read this?

great list of quotes and more thorough and definitive than any you would get from the net. easy read to make you laugh.

The first two sections of this little book are full of mysoginistic sayings of Wilde's, and I was less than impressed, and rather turned off, in fact. And it toook me soome time before I could get past that to enjoy some of his truly good sayings.

There were some tha made me smile, even a few that made me chuckle, but Wilde was no Mark Twain, I'll tell you that.

One of my favorite stories about Oscar Wilde concerned his visit to the rough mining town of Leadville Colorado. This was not exactly the ideal audience for a effite, flamboyant gay man. No surprisingly, his first night's audience was sparse, but his performance was so compelling, he won over the crowd, and on his second night, the performance hall was packed. It must have been quite a performance.

Wilde was, of course, one of the sharpest and wittiest contrarians in literary history. Unfortunately, compiling all his witty remarks in one book is not the way to make a person appreciate the quickness of his tongue and his constant challenge of convention. Instead, it makes him sound repetative and even boorish. I doubt that this is an accurate impression.

Better to read his best works and sample his witty remarks in small doses.

" Yes: I am a dreamer. For the dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world. "


4,25⭐

Brittany bought this for me! Best present ever.

i may not always agree with his statements, but i'll be damned if he isn't the wittiest man i've ever read.

我滿喜歡Wilde的誠實不過他的想法有時候有一點無恥、讓我覺得很刺激、可能是因為他面對現實。

juz got this book 2 days ago after searching for a long time.

I wonder how much of a showman Wilde was in his day as he seems quite pompous and arrogantly cynical in these quotes- channeling a character or two from Dorian Gray.

Knowing he lived out is last years in self exile is even more intriguing after reading this compilation.