Intentions (The Works of Oscar Wilde, Vol. 10) [Hardcover]

Oscar Wilde (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Classic Publishers (October 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158201440X
• ISBN-13: 978-1582014401
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,320,024 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.