This 1946 compilation preserves the breadth of Oscar Wilde’s literary output, moving beyond his reputation as a mere wit. The volume contains the full text of The Picture of Dorian Gray and his two most celebrated plays, The Importance of Being Earnest and Salomé. Richard Aldington curates a selection of Wilde's shorter works, including his fairy tales, poems, and the exhaustive letter De Profundis. The collection also features his social and aesthetic criticism, specifically The Soul of Man Under Socialism and The Decay of Lying, which argue for individualism and the superiority of art over nature.
Students of Victorian literature and practitioners of satire use this anthology to analyze the intersection of aestheticism and social defiance. Readers encounter a cohesive view of Wilde’s philosophical evolution from his early poems to his final reflections on suffering written in prison. By keeping this volume, the reader gains a comprehensive reference for Wilde’s epigrams and his theories on the relationship between morality and artistic creation. It serves as a single-source archive for understanding the linguistic precision and cultural defiance that defined the author's public and private life.
- Published
- 1946
- Language
- EN
