“He had that rarest of all things, common sense.” And in the case of Oscar Wilde he also had a gift for delivering this common sense in sometimes pithy but always memorable statements. One of the world’s most unforgettable authors, Oscar Wilde had a comment for any and every occasion, many of which are quoted here.
From art and actors to vice and virtue, this volume organizes 3109 Oscar Wilde quotations by subject matter, effectively providing a new way to enjoy Wilde’s considerable literary legacy. Quotations are taken from Wilde’s works, including The Importance of Being Earnest and The Picture of Dorian Gray, his correspondence, magazine articles and newspaper editorials. Some, which are otherwise not immediately verifiable, are garnered from reliable secondary sources. Sixty-seven chapters deal with topics as varied as death, domesticity, friends and enemies, with the source of each quote duly noted. The work, a fascinating read of Wilde’s acute observations, is indexed.

English tutor Tweed Conrad lives in Berkeley, California.

Tweed Conrad
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 247
Bibliographic Info: bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2006
pISBN: 978-0-7864-2484-9
eISBN: 978-1-4766-0731-3
Imprint: McFarland

Preface      1
Source Abbreviations      5

1. About Oscar, by Oscar      7
2. Actors and Acting      12
3. America and Americans      16
4. Art      27
5. Artists      36
6. Beauty and the Beast      41
7. Boredom, or Ennui      45
8. Britain and the British      46
9. Charity and Sympathy      49
10. Common Sense      53
11. Conversation and Language      54
12. Craftsmen      59
13. Critique      61
14. Cynicism and Skepticism      65
15. Death      66
16. Domesticity      68
17. Drama      69
18. Education      74
19. Emotions      77
20. Enemies      79
21. Fashion, Costumes and Style      80
22. Fidelity      86
23. Flowers      87
24. Food and Drink      90
25. France and the French      93
26. Friends      95
27. Gossip and Scandal      97
28. Gratitude      99
29. Greece and the Greeks      100
30. Happiness and Pleasure      102
31. Hate      104
32. History      105
33. Home Decor      107
34. Individualism      109
35. Intelligence and Ignorance      114
36. Journalism      118
37. Labor and Leisure      121
38. Life and Living      125
39. Love and Romance      128
40. Marriage      133
41. Mediocrity      137
42. Men      138
43. Men and Women      139
44. Models and Modeling      142
45. Music      144
46. Names      146
47. Nature and the Country      148
48. Pain, Sorrow and Su›ering      151
49. Passion      154
50. Past, Present and Future      156
51. Philosophy, Spirituality and Religion      158
52. Poets and Poetry      164
53. Politics, Government and Law      168
54. Prison      172
55. Prophecy and Destiny      176
56. Public Opinion      178
57. Relations      180
58. Society, Status and Success      182
59. Travel      184
60. Truth and Fiction      185
61. Vanity and Humility      189
62. Vice and Virtue      191
63. Wealth and Poverty      196
64. Women      200
65. Writers      204
66. Writing and Literature      209
67. Youth and Age      214

Bibliography      217
Keyword and Subject Index      219

“An entertaining read”—ARBA.