Oscar Wilde's Wit and Wisdom: A Book of Quotations

by Oscar Wilde

Overview

"I have the simplest tastes," remarked Oscar Wilde. "I am always satisfied with the best." In this superlative collection of quotations by the great Irish playwright and wit, readers will find the very best of Wilde's scintillating comments on art, human nature, morals, society, politics, history, and numerous other subjects. Epigrams, aphorisms, and other bon mots gleaned from Wilde's enduringly popular plays, essays, and conversation offer amusing, thought-provoking observations that resonate with truth and profundity beneath their comic surface.
Widely acknowledged as the most brilliant talker of his age, Wilde once explained to André Gide, "I put all my genius into my life; I put only my talent into my works." This fine collection of nearly 400 quotes, organized by category, contains quotations from both his works and his conversation, including gems from his personal life with which even devotees may be unfamiliar. The result is a splendid introduction to Wilde's mind and personality, embodied in a feast of the English language's most brilliant and perceptive witticisms.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780486401461
Publisher:	Dover Publications
Publication date:	01/27/1998
Series:	Dover Thrift Editions: Speeches/Quotations
Pages:	64
Sales rank:	118,377
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

The ever-quotable Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was an Irish playwright, novelist, essayist, and poet who delighted Victorian England with his legendary wit. He found critical and popular success with his scintillating plays, chiefly The Importance of Being Earnest, while his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, scandalized readers. Imprisoned for two years for homosexual behavior, Wilde moved to France after his release, where he died destitute.

Date of Birth:

October 16, 1854

Date of Death:

November 30, 1900

Place of Birth:

Dublin, Ireland

Place of Death:

Paris, France

Education:

The Royal School in Enniskillen, Dublin, 1864; Trinity College, Dublin, 1871; Magdalen College, Oxford, England, 1874

Table of Contents

Life
Women
Men
People in General
"Love, Marriage"
"Parents, Relations, Friendship"
Youth and Old Age
"Conduct, Morals, Experience"
"Sin, Religion, Truth"
"Genius, Thought, Beauty"
"Art, Literature, Music, Criticism"
"Conversation, Advice, Education"
"Wealth, Poverty, Society"
"Journalism, Politics, History"
England and America
Various Topics

Editorial Reviews

Dover goes Wilde with these two fine additions to its line of bargain titles. Lady Windermere is a typical Wilde farce; the latter volume is simply a collection of his best lines.

Library Journal