Oscar Wilde

(My last post is on Oscar Wilde not intentionally, but because I typed it in word about a week ago and somehow forgot to post it! Oops!)

Oscar Wilde’s plays did little to hold my attention. I hate to admit it but I had to read The Importance of Being Earnest twice in high school and while it was not the most miserable thing I ever had to read, it was far from pleasurable. I did find his Preface to The Picture of Dorian Gray and “Aphorisms” to be rather enjoyable. They were not as deep or hard to figure out as many of the other works we have read this session but they still held plenty of meaning. I think that this Preface was a prime example of how artists and other intellects strived to live. During the Victorian age society was status obsessed and their only focus were on material values. They did not appreciate the finer or more “beautiful” aspects of life. “Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault.” This line I believe is more directed towards society at the time. A normal middle class member of society strives only to have what others who were considered better had. They found no real beauty or meaning in this, however they wanted this only for superficial reasons. Many of these authors also used their art as a way to hide themselves. “To reveal art and conceal the artist is the art’s aim.” I found this line especially relevant for those artists who wrote under pseudonyms. Fame and fortune are not common goals for Victorian authors. “No artist desires to prove anything” Nearly all of the authors we have studied have taken part in some sort of controversial publication. Wilde believes that this controversy and differing opinions shows that the work is innovative and that it is a sign or originality “Diversity of opinion about a work of art shows that the work is new, complex, and vital.” I really loved where Wilde wrote “All art is at once surface and symbol.” This made me smile because if you take art for face value is empty and “useless” as Wilde ends the preface by stating. (A view I do not believe Wilde agreed with.). Art is something which you have to study and think about and take with an open mind. Sure, on the surface it is a bunch of eloquently written words. If you do not read between the lines all it will be is a group of meaningless pretty words. Wilde also goes into great detail of the aesthetic value of art. Society at the time was only concerned with this aspect of the artwork. “They are the elect to whom beautiful things mean only beauty.” Wilde is using this piece to speak out against this ignorant thought.
I thought Wilde’s writing was inspiring and very thought provoking. Though this preface differed greatly from most of the other works I have focused on in my blogs, the freshness of it is what drew me to want to write on it. (Much like an idea Wilde discusses in the preface!) I really enjoyed being able to relate all of these ideas back to other artists we have studied. In every line of the text, I was able to think of authors who followed and believed them. Proving them to be the truth. (“Even things that are true can be proved”). Reading this preface actually helped to prove to me how much I have learned thus far in the course! I am anxious to read into the modern era and see how many more ways these sayings can be put into practice.