Oscar Wilde

Josephine M. Guy

Volume IV of the Oxford English Texts Complete Works of Oscar Wilde is the first variorum edition of Wilde's best-known critical essays - those published in Intentions and The Soul of Man, as well as his graduate essay The Rise of Historical Criticism (re-titled here Historical Criticism).

Volume IV: Criticism: Historical Criticism, Intentions, The Soul of Man

The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde

complete works of Oscar Wilde

Caroline 

The most eloquent use of word I've ever seen. Oscar Wilde is so witty, and anything Harry said is such a euphoric English literature moment.

catto fishu

The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde (Collins Classics)

Ajit Panigrahi

5 stars for everything except "The Devoted Friend".
Minus one star for "The Devoted Friend" - The most frustrating thing that I've read.

This timeless tale of gothic horror is accompanied by three short stories-- "Lord Arthur Savile's Crime," "The Happy Prince," and "The Birthday of the Infanta"--and a new introduction by Gary Schmidgall, author of The Stranger Wilde. Reprint.

The Picture of Dorian Gray and Three Stories

Gelaine Trinidad

A fashionable young man sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty in Oscar Wilde's fascinating gothic tale. The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde’s only full-length novel, is the enduringly eerie story of a naïve and irresistible young man lured by decadent Lord Henry Wotton into a life of depravity. Though Dorian is steeped in sin, his face remains perfect, unlined as years pass—while only his portrait, locked away, reveals the blackness of his soul. This timeless tale of Gothic horror and fable, reveling in the unabashed hedonism and cynical wit of its characters, epitomizes Wilde’s literary revolt against the proprieties of the Victorian era. Sharing this volume with The Picture of Dorian Gray are Wilde’s clever and sophisticated story “Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime” and two of his delicate fairy tales, “The Happy Prince” and “The Birthday of the Infanta.” With an Introduction by Gary Schnidgall and an Afterword by Peter Raby

Ley Stanton

I did not read the three short stories at the end. I don't intend to read them anytime soon but I'm sure I will revisit them in the future.
This book was amazing. There were a few slow parts with overly-done descriptions. But for the whole, it was a thrilling tale. The only thing that would have made this better would have been to see more of the corruptions that haunted Dorian Gray, instead of them just being hinted at. I would have also liked a chapter or two more at the end to see the fallout.

A selection of fiction, drama, and prose by the controversial late nineteenth-century literary figure includes the chilling novel, The Portrait of Dorian Gray, as well as his account of his prison experience, "The Ballad of Reading Gaol," and four complete plays--Lady Windermere's Fan, An Ideal Husband, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Salomé. Reissue.

The Picture of Dorian Gray and Other Writings

Natalie Manuel

Hmmm, I enjoyed this but not quite as much as I thought I would.

I enjoyed the lushness of the writing and Harry, whose long misogynistic rants were quite fun to read.

I assume Dorian himself is a rather flat character because he was intended to be a weak enough person to be so influenced by Harry. It seems everyone else but Dorian read Harry as he should have been read- as someone to be amused by and entertain, but not take seriously. Dorian was like a blank canvas that Harry toyed with, and this makes sense for the narrative, but also makes him a boring character to experience the story with. You can’t feel sorry for him, and he’s not witty enough or intelligent enough to admire.

I kind of liked that Dorian’s sins weren’t spelled out, other than the major ones, and that his sinfulness essentially polluted all the lives he crossed paths with.

But I don’t know, it just lacked some oomph for me.

Pia Sophia

Let me start by saying that I absolutely adore Oscar Wilde and I adored him ever since I read his famous The Picture of Dorian Gray at age 17. I was most thrilled to stumble upon this beautiful collection of his work, and when the girl I got it from wanted to trade it for a pack of cookies I was beyond excited. This must be faith. Or she must have been very hungry. 

The introduction of this collection almost made me tear up. Oscar Wilde was loved beyond words, and even now that light shines through. I also feel I should be referring to Oscar Wilde as Oscar. He feels like a friend I never met in real life.

Re-reading The Picture of Dorian Gray made me appreciate the story even more. For Gray is a troubled soul, and the only way he feels he has any control over his life is to measure good and bad through beauty. Because what else is there, when the only joy you have is a pretty face? When terrible things happen to him, it seems that something inside him changes. When even beautiful things cease to stay in his life, the badness of sin is merely subjective. The tragic, the beauty... This book is my favorite ever for a reason. 

Oscar is a marvellous writer. His short stories are almost like a work of poetry, entangled in a beautiful web of humor and wisdom. My ultimate favorite stories by him are Lord Arthur Savile's Crime, The Canterville Ghost, The Nightingale and the Rose (I genuinely cried the first time I read it), The Happy Prince, The Selfish Giant, The Young King and The Fisherman and his Soul. Oscar's short stories are teeny tiny fairy tales and I love them for it. Some of these stories I read before, but I can genuinely say they do not get boring. I am so going to read them to my future children.

I never really read plays before I read Oscar's in this complete collection. I thought plays were boring and I never really understood why people enjoyed reading (or writing) them. Until I started with The Importance of Being Ernest. This was so funny! What I really liked about reading this play was that I couldn't follow their thoughts, as it obviously wasn't written like that, but that I could understand and envision an entire story by reading mostly dialogue! Well done, Oscar.
I must say that, as I read on and finished all of his plays in a couple of days, I felt it became a little repetitive. Nothing too major, and the plots being nice and all (and still funny!), but I did sense a theme and style once I finished them all. An exception to this were Salomé and La Sainte Courtisane. These were surprisingly good ones, refreshing and dramatic. 

As for Oscar's poems, I must say I'm not the biggest fan. And it saddens me. I mean, the poems aren't bad at all, but they just didn't make me laugh, cry, sit in anger... I really did like a few of them, and definitely don't regret reading the rest of 'em, but I feel Oscar's poetic side just shows way better in his stories (I mean, The Nightingale and the Rose is, for example, such a poetic and deep story in itself) and his plays (Salomé!) that the poems he did write didn't feel as special as they might have... The poems I did like best were Requiescat, La Bella Donna Della Mia Mente, The Little Ship, Bittersweet Love, Le Jardin 
Des Tuileries, Fantaisies Décoratives, Under the Balcony, Remorse and The Disciple (poem in prose). I felt like Oscar's poems in prose were very sad and they might have been written while Oscar was contemplating his faith. I sometimes had the idea that he approached his faith positively, and sometimes negatively, a little depressed even, maybe. It made me sad, which I guess is also a good thing for it means his work sparks emotion, and that's obviously what it's meant to do...

Then, last but not least, the tastiest leftovers a child leaves on its plate for last, as Merlin Holland lovingly stated in the introduction to Oscars essays, selected journalism, lectures and letters. And when I began with reading The House Beautiful I immediately felt that was true. What a funny, amazing and smart piece that was! I scribbled more notes and comments and highlighted pieces in that first piece than I did in the upcoming ones. As good as the first one was, as little did the following ones did for me. I understand that a review of a 19th century book on marriage, or a play is historically important and it sure does show Oscars well-developed, kind and clever nature. But it just didn't hold my interest as much as it would if I read it a whole lot of decades ago. Same goes for the numerous lectures on Greek history. It's just not where my interest lays, although I can surely see that it's intelligent and well-written. And you know, that makes me a little sad. Because I see that it's good and I want to like it, but here's where that whole different-century gap comes into place. Bummer (I must say that the essay on Socialism, however, was very interesting. It felt relevant to this day and age, which made me really like it). 
And I saved the best, if that's what we're going to call it, for last. De Profundis. I don't think I have ever felt more sympathy and grief for a writer before reading this letter. An 80-page cry for help, it almost felt like. I related to Oscar on some parts which made me even sadder. And where I didn't relate to him (I mean, no, I wasn't thrown into prison by my blood sucking terrible friend) I felt I wanted to shake him up, and give him a strong hug for everything he had to endure. When Oscar, at the end of his letter, writes he wishes to hear from his "friend" again my heart almost sank right into my shoes. Poor Oscar. This cycle will not end as long as you let him take advantage of your heart so pure... 

I can't believe I finished the whole Collected Works in only this short a period of time. I loved a lot of it, didn't feel much at some of it, but appreciate and respect every tiny word of it. I miss Oscar already.

The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde Volume IV: Criticism: Historical Criticism, Intentions, The Soul of Man

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