Customer Reviews

Complete Works of Oscar Wilde (Collins Classics)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Oscar Wilde was a self-described man of paradox. He was, simultaneously, a man very much of his time, and also very ahead of his time. He was a highly moral man who wrote clever epigrams about how good it is to be wicked ("Wickedness is a myth invented by good people to account for the curious attractiveness of others.") He was a happily married man who happily loved his two children but also led a gay life on the side and wrote hilarous satires of love and marriage ("Men marry because they are tired; women, because they are curious: both are disappointed.") This huge book, which contains practically everything that Wilde ever wrote, shows the man in all his glory. After the introduction by his son, we are first launched into Oscar's stories. His one novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, is a classic and a masterpiece. A devastating moral tale, this one deserves to be in everyone's library. His shorter pieces, however, are of a more questionable quality. Consisting mostly of moral ancedotes dressed up in the thinly-veiled guise of fairy tales for children, these works are the least exciting part of Wilde's oeuvre and of this book, and seem to lean heavily on his oft-spouted crutch of "Art for Art's sake." After the stories, we meet Wilde in the guise he was destined for: that of a dramatist. His play were an integral and ackwnoledged part of his genius, and their influence upon modern drama was enormous. His type of high, farcial "drawing room" comedy has left a permanent mark on the stage. It is easy to see how even the modern Hollywood sitcom sprung from these plays of Wilde's. However funny and biting the satire may be, though, the high point of Oscar Wilde's plays was always his epigram-laced dialogue - whatever the plot may be. Probably the finest - and most biting - aphorist the English language has ever produced, Wilde is probably quoted - whether people realize it or not - more often than any other source in the language, aside from The Bible and Shakespeare. The Importance of Being Earnest and Salome are his ackwnoledged masterpieces, but other plays - such as A Woman of No Importance and An Ideal Husband - are very good plays as well. He also has some very fine and underrated less original works, such as The Duchess of Padua that are quite well worth reading. From here, we move into Wilde's poems. Although, as he himself admits, they sometimes contain "more rhyme than reason", there is no doubting that Wilde was a master of language, and a fine poet. He won the Newdigate Prize for Poetry while at Oxford, and his "Ballad of Reading Gaol" is one of the finest poems in existence. What's left are his essays and letters. The most famous of them - indeed, one of the most famous letters ever written - is De Profundis, his strangely moving and tragic love/hate letter to Lord Alfred Douglas from prison. This is a shocking and immensely moving piece of work, and deserves to be read by one and all for its unique look into the human psyche - particuarly that of a man under intense suffering, and possibly on the brink. The letter is fascinating, and should put a different spin on Wilde than many people inaccurately have of the man - he was obviously of a very high moral character. Several interesting essays are also included - among them are The Critic As Artist and The Decay of Lying, two masterful pieces of Plato-istic dialogue, putting Wilde's severe wit and intimidating intellectualism on full display for all to see. One may wonder how much he actually believes of what he writes, but what he writes is brilliant. Another interesting essay is The Portrait of Mr. W.H., in which Wilde puts forth an interesting and unique theory about Shakespeare's sonnets. Also, while Wilde was not generally known for his political opinions, it is quite interesting to read his essay on political and social reform, The Soul of Man Under Socialism, as well as two letters he wrote about proposed reformations of the prison system.

All in all, this is a collection of masterful writings from one of the most tragically overlooked and underrated writers in the whole of literature. As another reviewer has pointed out, while Wilde rarely gets the credit he deserves for his work - and is often ignored, overlooked, or simply dismissed - his works are also widely and frequently plagarised - not to mention quoted legitimately - and were obviously extremely influential. You owe it to yourself to read the man's writings if you are not familar with his works; I guarantee you you won't regret it.

I gave this book 5 stars because the content of the book is superb - it is Oscar Wilde we're talking about here, after all. But I would like to comment on the actual publication itself. I can't believe that this is the best that Collins could come up with for a centenary edition. The paper is far too thin and the size of the book is also too small. The old Collins Complete Works edited by Vyvyan Holland was a much more attractive volume.

The Collins edition of Oscar Wilde's complete works is the only one I've ever found that actually is *complete*. It contains not only all of his plays, fairy tales, and short stories, but also most of his essays (some brilliant writing) and *all* his poems. Many books say they do, but there are a few tiny gems that oft go unnoticed (such as "Love Song" and a lovely little piece with no name). A truly wonderful edition of a truly wonderful writer, or, as Wilde himself might say, "Quite utterly lovely." Also, if I am not mistaken, contains several pages of pictures of Wilde and his family.

The Complete Works of Irish poet Oscar Wilde, which is published by Collins, is a must for a private library. It is an excellent book even if you only want to check one of Wilde's witty quotes - and there are plenty. The book includes Wilde's only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, which caused a fin-de-siecle scandal about a century ago because of its underlying homoeroticism. There are also all his famous plays which he wrote and was loved for by English society such as The Importance of Being Earnest, An Ideal Husband as well as Lady Windermere's Fan. In addition, there are stories, poems (such as The Ballad of Reading Gaol - the jail he had to go to for his affair with Bosie Douglas), essays, and letters such as De Profundis. This newly illustrated centenary edition also incorporates recent revisions to the text, which probably only experts will spot.

Hi!

Curious thing about Oscar Wilde is that although he is frequently underrated, ignored, trivialized, forgotten or simply dismissed his works are also widely and frequently plagiarized. Not that he would care too much about that if he were alive.

This book is a great collection of literary works by one of the greatest writers in the English language. Ranging from prose, fairy tales and drama through poetry to social commentary. This book has something for (almost) everyone, it is a great companion on long journeys and a breath of fresh air compared with some of the stale and stagnant ruminations of many an airport paper-back hero.

Try it! it's good for the soul and the mind.

regards......

This book was absolutly wonderful to read! peices from his works, his life, and the world. it was probably one of the best books I have read. I am a big fan of oscar wilde and this is,in my opinion, one of the best collections of his works all put together in a very nice and organised way.. making it easy to read and absolutely enjoyable.

This book is not much larger than a paperback. I am 25 with perfect vision and I still feel I should use a magnifying lense with this book.

By far, the is the best compilation of Oscar Wilde's works. His witty style is still refreshing and captivating. Best of all, you get all of Wilde's work in one beautifully-bound package! If you're a fan of Oscar Wilde, then I highly recommend this for your library.

Though the print is small for those of us over 40, it's worth it - if not, it would weigh about 10 pounds! As it is, it's a tome, but worth reading, and re-reading time and again. It has everything - everything! - that you'll ever hear mentioned - his stories, his novels, his essay's.
It would make a great gift for a young writer, as well.

It is all here, it is all REALLY here: The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde. His letters and interviews are not included (of course) but if you are looking for his poems, his short stories, or his plays look no further. The book also has two wonderful introductions to Oscar's works. One is written by his son Vyvyan and the other is written by his grandson Merlin.

This book is practically perfect in every way except for one and that is the book is a bit small. The size of the book is not so small that you will be severely annoyed but it is certainly not completely comfortable. That being said, a compilation of this quality at the very least warrants the forgiveness of this one minor imperfection.

Oscar Wilde is my favorite writer and I am very happy to own this book.