Intentions [Paperback]

Oscar Wilde (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 12, 2009

Intentions is Oscar Wilde's manifesto on aestheticism. A collection of four essays, as a whole it provides the foundations of Wilde's philosophy of art and life. "The Decay of Lying" is about the necessity of separating art from the confines of factuality. "Pen, Pencil and Poison" examines the life of Thomas Griffiths Wainewright, a writer and murderer who Wilde considered a true artist. "The Critic as Artist" offers an expanded notion of the critic's role. "The Truth of Masks" contends that outward appearances are as significant for an artist as the hidden interior. As with all of Wilde's writing, these essays are fascinating and highly readable, and provide a useful insight into the underpinnings of his own creative work.

Editorial Reviews

Review

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--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

About the Author

WILDE, OSCAR O'FLAHERTIE WILLS (1856-1900), English author was born in Dublin on the 15th of October 1856; his mother, Jane Francisca Elgee, was well known in Dublin as a graceful writer of verse and prose, under the pen-name of ""Speranza."" Having distinguished himself in classics at Trinity College, Dublin, Oscar Wilde went to Magdalen College, Oxford, in 1874, and won the Newdigate prize in 1878 with his poem ""Ravenna,"" besides taking a first-class in classical Moderations and in Literae Humaniores. But his career at Oxford, brilliant intellectually as he showed himself to be, was chiefly signalized by the part he played in what came to be known as the aesthetic movement. Wilde made himself the apostle of this new cult. As the leading ""aesthete,"" Oscar Wilde became one of the most prominent personalities of the day; his affected paradoxes and his witty sayings were quoted on all sides, and in 1882 he went on a lecturing tour in the United States. He had already published in 1881 a selection of his poems, which, however, only attracted admiration in a limited circle. In 1888 appeared The Happy Prince and Other Tales. This charming volume of fairy tales was followed up later by a second collection, The House of Pomegranates (1892). In much of his writings, and in his general attitude, there was to most people an undertone of rather nasty suggestion which created prejudice against him, and his novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), with all its sparkle and cleverness, impressed them more from this point of view than from its purely literary brilliance. Wilde contributed some characteristic articles to the reviews, all coloured by his peculiar attitude towards art and life, and in 1891 republished three of them as a book called Intentions. His first real success with the larger public was as a dramatist with Lady Windermere's Fan at the St James's Theatre in 1892, followed by A Woman of No Importance (1893), An Ideal Husband (1895) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895). The dramatic and literary ability shown in these plays, all of which were published later in book form, was as undoubted as their diction and ideas were characteristically paradoxical. In 1893 the licenser of plays refused a licence to Wilde's Salome, but it was produced in French in Paris in 1894. In 1898 he published his powerful Ballad of Reading Gaol. His Collected Poems, containing some beautiful verse, had been issued in 1892. The manuscripts of A Florentine Tragedy and an essay on Shakespeare's sonnets were stolen from his house in 1895. He died in Paris on the 30th of November 1900. In 1904 a five-act tragedy, The Duchess of Padua, written by Wilde about 1883 was published in a German translation in Berlin. His literary genius was remarkable, and his plays were perhaps the most original contributions to English dramatic writing during the period. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Akasha Classics (March 12, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1605124958
• ISBN-13: 978-1605124957
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,521,787 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Oscar Fingall O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was born in Dublin in 1854. He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin and Magdalen College, Oxford where, a disciple of Pater, he founded an aesthetic cult. In 1884 he married Constance Lloyd, and his two sons were born in 1885 and 1886.
His novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), and social comedies Lady Windermere's Fan (1892), A Woman of No Importance (1893), An Ideal Husband (1895), and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895), established his reputation. In 1895, following his libel action against the Marquess of Queesberry, Wilde was sentenced to two years' imprisonment for homosexual conduct, as a result of which he wrote The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898), and his confessional letter De Profundis (1905). On his release from prison in 1897 he lived in obscurity in Europe, and died in Paris in 1900.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very, very funny!, September 13, 2009

By 

Christine Richardson (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Intentions (Paperback)

One day this summer I went Wild about Wilde! I think I purchased one copy of each of his works, and have been making my way through them all, (sometimes jumping back and forth), and Intentions is really a wonderful collection of some of his very witty, and very cutting stories. My favorite was 'The Decay of Lying' which is a subject I noticed Wilde writes about in many of his works, like in Dorian Gray.

For some reason, this book is missed but many, and I myself just found it by accident, so do yourself a favor and read it! This is a charming and delightful edition!

And if you want to read about lying in Dorian Gray:

The Picture of Dorian Gray

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars May be the most important of Oscar Wilde's critical works!, July 26, 2009

By 

Peter John Pols "Reading and Watching" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Intentions (Paperback)

It has been said that Intentions may be the most important of Oscar Wilde's critical works. Included in it are four essays: "The Decay of Lying," "Pen, Pencil and Poison," "The Critic as Artist," and "The Truth of Masks."

"The Decay of Lying" -- from 1889 -- is an essay couched as a dialogue that Wilde once called it a "trumpet against the gate of dullness." The substance revolves around Wilde's Aestheticism, and he argues (through one character and another) that Art is superior to Nature. . . .

"Pen, Pencil and Poison" -- from 1889 -- is a biographical essay on the notorious writer, murderer, and forger Thomas Griffiths Wainewright, who used the pen name "Janus Weathercock," and here Wilde puts forward the notion that that Wainewright's criminality reveals the soul of a true artist.

In "The Critic as Artist," -- 1890 -- The Wilde's contends that critics must reach beyond the creative work that he considers.

"The Truth of Masks" (1885) is an argumentative response to an article of Edward George Bulwer-Lytton's which put forward the notion that Shakespeare had little interest in the costumes that his characters wore.

Brilliant and (as always) so well put, Wilde is a joy to read - food for the mind and soul. This is a nice well put together edition - all Wilde lovers well want.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well recommended - you will love it if you love Wilde!, September 6, 2009

By 

Nice Person (North America) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Intentions (Paperback)

First, this is a lovely edition and well worth the money, and it arrived right on time, actually faster than I expected.

Second, the book.

Not just a wit, Wilde was an intellectual power house. You don't have to agree with him on everything, just enjoy his ability to make his own argument. In "Pen, Pencil and Poison", read how Wilde playfully argues the question, 'is a criminal an artist?' Fascinating!

Superior book, lots of wit and it will stretch your mind.