Friday, January 4, 2019
Due Wednesday, January 9th - Oscar Wilde Analysis
Directions: Please read and study the "Background on Oscar Wilde" post, from January 1st. Watch the documentary Wit’s End, read the dialogue selection from Decay of Lying, and peruse his epigram collections: A Few Maxims for the Instruction of the Over-educated and Phrases and Philosophies for the Use of the Young. Post a comprehensive blog with insights and questions about Oscar Wilde, Aestheticism, his writing, his personal life, or anything you’d like for our class discussion. Engage with each other. I look forward to your insights.
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Oscar Wilde seems to be a very interesting person, and after watching his biography and reading through his dialogue and quotes, I am excited to read more of his writing. Born and raised in England, Wilde believed that beauty is the most important thing in life. He didn't like trying to make things realistic and simply wanted things to be beautiful. I personally don't agree with this idea, so it was really interesting to read from a point of view that is so fundamentally different from mine. One thing I was confused about is his mention of lying for one's "immediate personal advantage" in The Decay of Lying excerpt. To me, it seemed like he was endorsing this, and while I can see why it would be possible to endorse lying for other reasons, I don't see how you could defend lying for your own gain. In addition, I'm not sure I agree with Wilde's definition of lying in the first place. In point four of his four doctrines, he defines lying as "the telling of beautiful untrue things." However, not all lies are beautiful. Lies can be used to humiliate and hurt people, and manipulate people into doing what you want. I'm curious as to what Wilde would say about this.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Wilde liked lies that were for personal gain. For example, telling a lie to get something you want like more time on an assignment or followers in a movement isn't something Wilde enjoyed. I think he meant lying in stories is a good thing. Sometimes, telling a story in first person, even though it didn't happen to you, makes it funnier. Or maybe he meant fiction in general, how their should be no underlying truth in a story for people to stress about. I think Wilde had very clear boundaries on what lying was "good" and what lying was "bad".
DeleteThe first thing I got from Oscar Wilde was that, unlike many writers, he had no tragic backstory, which I think speaks to his overall goal as an author. He didn’t have that many difficulties to overcome (in youth, that is, we know later in life he had to live as a homosexual in a society that really didn’t like that).
ReplyDeleteHis mother was a big part of his the man he became, I think living in a world where he was allowed to enjoy the beautiful things in life shaped his love for beauty later on. One of the things in the documentary that I loved was when we learned his mother said “facts really shouldn’t get in the way of a good story”. That is exactly what Wilde’s Decay of lying was about. What most of his stories are about.
There is a definite lesson with Wilde that beautiful things make you happy so you should surround yourself with more beautiful things. I loved when he said I find it harder everyday to live up to my blue china”.
I also noticed that, as Wilde’s life went on his pictures became more and more flamboyant. From just standing in the back of a normal college photo to his graduation, wit on hand on his hip, the only person fully facing the camera, to the photo on this assignment, one leg up on the bench, hate off, hanging in his hand, other hand on his hip, elbow leaning on his knee (does anyone notice how the other guy looks really uncomfortable? Like, God Oscar, stop being so extra) to later in life when he would just lounge in front of the camera or lean against a wall and look away. I think it says a lot about Wilde: “one should become a work of art”.
While art can take on many forms, one often overlooked idea is that art should be created for pure pleasure and beauty. While it can be used for political and social statements, many tend to disregard the idea that art can be made for just simply beauty, without “practical, moral or narrative considerations.” This is the principles of aestheticism. In The Decay of Lying: An Observation by Oscar Wilde, the four doctrines emphasize this idea of “Art for Art’s sake.” One that I thought to be significant was, “Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life.” I believe this to be very true and applicable to today, as people are often inspired by Art in many ways. Art has the ability to elicit deep meaning and emotions just by the beauty of it. While art can also be a reflection of life, the idea of life imitating art is one that is quite powerful. In Phrases and Philosophies for the Use of the Young, Wilde writes “pleasure is the only thing one should live for. Nothing ages like happiness.” This idea aligns in with the idea that an artist should create art for their own satisfaction. If one spends too much time focusing on what people think of their work, they lose the happiness and pleasure of doing it. Furthermore, not everyone views art the same way. There is often a miscommunication between the artist and the observer. As Wilde states in A Few Maxims for the Instruction of the Over-educated, ”the only thing that the artist cannot see is the obvious. The only thing that the public can see is the obvious.” This conveys the misunderstanding that is often experienced. With aestheticism, it allows for just the simplistic beauty of the art to be the main component. There is less of a misunderstanding, as there is no underlying message to be sought out. In this way, aestheticism is an essential component to art.
ReplyDeleteReading about aestheticism, it is hard to consider it an important art form, hence it is solely based off how beautiful something is. In order for something to be aesthetic art, it has to look pretty, but it doesn’t necessarily have to have any meaning. For pleasure, it is entertaining to view such art forms. However, art is something that should be questioned and study. How are professors or students supposed to study art if it just “looks beautiful”. I think that art should have some underlying meaning in order to show the significance of the artist’s work. Oscar Wilde was one of the creators of this art style, using plays, novels, and poems/essays. In the second doctrine, why exactly do people not want to view art forms from their own era. Reading this, I realize how little I know modern art, yet I can think of many examples of art that are from older times. I never realized this but society tends to shy away from art forms that focus on times from the past, or even the future. The documentary was helpful in the sense that I better understood where his thoughts are coming from. I found the phrases and philosophies very interesting. The first one starts off stating the importance of being artificial. This one stuck with me the most of all of because I have always valued people being genuine. I disagree with the importance of being artificial because I think it takes away a part of our humanity. Being your own person revolves around the idea of being your own person. If you are always mimicking someone else, you will never be able to form your own opinions. The next section that discusses education was very interesting because it made you view it in a different light. A lot of his points are things that I have never thought about before. His views are very insightful but it is hard to agree with them. I respect Wilde’s opinions because they are the exact opposite of what society has. He expressed his ideals in a way that was fearless, as he wasn’t scared of shocking the public. Although some of his points were very interesting, I would like him to go into more depth about some of them. There are many who seem like short ideas so I would interested in talking about them further.
ReplyDeleteI related a lot to the part where you talked about how you respect his opinions but find it hard to agree with them. I had the same reaction myself. Your point about Wilde being brave enough to express his shocking opinions was insightful. I hadn’t considered that before, but now that you brought it to my attention, he really does deserve a lot of credit for being willing to express his own opinions. It’s kind of ironic, because Wilde in his first quote talks about the importance of being artificial, but in expressing his unpopular opinions, Wilde is being genuine at a time when it would have been more convenient for him to be artificial.
DeleteAlthough Oscar Wilde was a man of many words, his shocking, romantic style was the singular vehicle he used in all his works. With his extensive education earned mainly through scholarships, Wilde accumulated a great of classroom knowledge using his natural ability to understand facts. Yet, he felt what the world needed was art, art that didn’t contain the barriers that facts created. Wilde examined fascinating imperfections in the real world and made modifications that turned them into art. He didn’t endorse Realism, but instead focusing on the beauty that laid within the “lies” of Romanticism saying in Decay of Lying, that “the telling of beautiful untrue things, [was] the proper aim of Art.” In Wilde’s aim of making art about pieces being pleasing and not based on facts, he actually highlighted the difference between fantasy and reality, helping viewers find the issues within society based off his imaginative, beautiful words. This tricky tactic what he called “lying for the sake of improvement.”
ReplyDeleteI found it ironic that Wilde didn’t want art to be taken as historic fact, yet his work is used to examine the realities of his era. He has said in Decay of Lying that, “[t]o pass from the art of a time to the time itself [was] the great mistake that all historians commit,” losing the value of lies. By losing lies, ideas are also lost. In Few Maxims for the Induction of the Overeducated, Wilde says that “[p]ublic opinion exists only where there are no ideas,” meaning that when a large group of people agree on something, it’s because they have no individual thinking.
In today’s world, I question the accuracy of many “facts” circulating. The line between reality and fiction has become blurred, making it feel like sometimes there can be more truth found in art than on the news. The “beautiful” lies that Wilde loved have become intertwined with the “ugly” lies used to manipulate public opinion. Although art still has its power, it often has much closer relations to reality than before. For example, it’s all over social media, sharing the same feed that people use to get their factual news. People see a piece of art on a topic unrelated to reality amidst their reading on government shutdowns and school shootings, sometimes making the art feel less valuable than the facts. What place does Romanticism have in our world today?
I really like your post! I found it super interesting when you talk about how Oscar Wilde did not want his art to be taken as a historic fact and how now it is being used in classrooms today to show examples from that era. I also really liked how you connected social media to some of his work and phrases
DeleteWhat is it to live if life imitates art? How, if art is made for art’s sake, does one create art, to begin with? Does it originate from nature or does it stem from a cerebral manipulation of the ideal? And if art is the manipulation of the truth and life imitates are then, is that to say, that life is a lie or that art is? Is there any truth in the world of Oscar Wilde? Truly, it’s fascinating to consider what logic dictates, or more importantly, if logic matters when art is the dictator of truth even if it’s a lie. Oscar Wilde, in the Decay of Lying, discusses the logic of Romanticism and Aestheticism, seeing the world through ideals and seeing facts and logic as the true enemies of art and, by extension life. So often in Wilde’s writing, he has characters, Algernon for example, who live almost outside of reality and society, but also fit into it perfectly and almost mold it. Wilde is much like this as he was a highly influential person in society, but also a notorious and vicious critic of society. A quote from Act III of The Importance of Being Earnest really sums it up: “Never speak disrespectfully of Society, Algernon. Only people who can’t get into it do that.” Algernon in particular, being fairly well known as the character most similar to Wilde himself, really shows the temperament of Wilde nicely. Even just in little scenes where Algy plays the piano, there are little spots of Wilde, saying “ I don’t play accurately—anyone can play accurately—but I play with wonderful expression. As far as the piano is concerned, sentiment is my forte. I keep science for Life.” This is really where Wilde’s theory of lying comes from, that lies are more beautiful and, often, more truthful than the truth. Unfortunately, this shows in his life, where he, again like Algy, was up to his neck in debt and debauchery which was all covered by a thin veil of French suits and gold-tipped cigarettes.
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DeleteI really like this post! It was both very well worded (I think Wilde would be proud of the beauty of your prose in this response :) ) and a really deep and thorough analysis of aestheticism and Wilde’s own opinions on life and art. I also like how you connected it back to the play by talking about how Wilde’s view shows up in the play.
Oscar Wilde believes that “industry is the root of all ugliness.” Therefore, at Oxford, he embraced the aestheticism movement by trading in his traditional clothes for silk, filling his dorm room with peacock feathers, and collecting blue china. Although living in a contemporary society has its benefits, Wilde agrees that the sheer beauty of objects and living simply would improve quality of life. In The Decay of Lying, he outlines the four doctrines of art and beauty, expressing primarily that “life imitates art far more than art imitates life.” The manner by which Oscar Wilde lived his life exemplifies his perspective of art and beauty. He explains, in The Decay of Lying, that “...those who do not love beauty more than truth never know the inmost shrine of art.” Favoring romanticism over realism, through his lectures and obscure persona, Wilde quickly gained popularity.
ReplyDeleteDespite his homosexual tendencies, Wilde decided to get married. However, once his wife grew pregnant, he could not bear to look at her anymore, becoming bored of the traditional, victorian lifestyle of the times. I find it interesting how Wilde became popular, in part, because of his eccentricity. Without any major works, he was able to be recognized as one of the most popular personalities in literature around the world. He believed that “to love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.” It appears he lived by the saying, disregarding the hypocritical and prejudice of England and living his way of life.
In The Importance of Being Earnest, thus far, we have come to appreciate how Wilde, often indirectly, incorporates humor and some of his own personal beliefs. The play can highlight Wilde’s own personal marriage, especially how he grew apart from his wife and child. He ridicules the themes of cultural expectations of the time, including specifically class and marriage. Ultimately, although published in 1895, how have we, as a society, drawn further from aestheticism and towards materialism?
I noticed that I also talked about the line, "...those who do not love beauty more than truth never know the inmost shrine of art," in my post. It was intriguing to see the connection between his beliefs and his persona show throughout his college career. Something you also mentioned was how he incorporated humor into his work— this is something I admire as I know humor can be subjective and somewhat controversial. However, Wilde did it in a lighthearted and mindful manner.
DeleteYou and I both mentioned the idea that Wilde became just as popular for his writing as he was for his extravagant and unique attire and decor. I like how you apply his principles in the The Decay of Lying to his own life. You make a great connection between Wilde's life and The Importance of Being Earnest. Just as Wilde rejected the idea of "industry", characters like Algernon ridicule the customs of proposals and marriage. I would note that saying "homosexual tendencies" leaves the connotation that this aspect of his identity was a phase. I am not sure if that is what you meant, but I would be careful with the wording.
DeleteWhen aestheticism was at its peak, Wilde was front and center in the movement creating art that didn’t look to convey true purpose but instead to be beautiful. He felt that nobody understood the true purpose of art and that at the time everyone was stuck with the superficial information of everything. He, however, saw small things that people lacked to see and he made them into art. Wilde joked about what other people were too nervous to discuss in his art and through his writing, he joked about peoples fear of the real world.
ReplyDeleteOscar Wilde had very strong views of romanticism and the beauty of the world, while also being able to see the ugly truths that the world had to offer. In one of his phrases from Phrases and Philosophies for the Use of the Young, Wilde says “the old believe everything: the middle-aged suspect everything: the young know everything”. I found this to be very interesting because in some ways I found it to be relevant to what is happening today in society. The youth are the ones pushing for change and wanting to make a difference while the older generation has very different views of the world based on when they grew up.
A question I have about his personal life is about his time in prison and what that whole situation was about and what happened to his family?
I like how you included the point about age groups. I read over this part but I did not think more about it. You related it to our modern society and I found this very interesting. We place so much responsibility on younger generations because like you mentioned, the views on the world are always evolving. As time continues, we see more and more problems involving various matters such as climate or politics. With these increasing problems, the current generation won't be around forever to help this cause. Therefore, the younger generation are the ones that are going to have to make a change.
DeleteWhile reading through the Background on Oscar Wilde post, learning about Wilde’s aestheticism ideals strongly reminded me of superficialism. Aestheticism is the concentration of the visual and sensual aspects of art over practicality and morals— very similar to the idea of being “Instagram worthy,” a standard plastered all over social media. Today, being viewed as “art” or “perfect,” or is a social construct based solely on physical appearance. The numerical value for this ideal is measured by the amount of likes, comments, followers, posts, one’s weight, size, and amount of friends an individual has. In posted photos, reality is hidden beneath the edits— similar to Aestheticism, or lying for its own sake” (Decay of Lying). These impossible beauty standards (made through photoshop) have created unrealistic goals for many, “Those who do not love Beauty more than Truth never know the inmost shrine of Art,” and sadly, become tricked into what defines beauty. Outside beauty is subconsciously sought after as we imitate and practice the lingering beliefs of aestheticism. This connection between aestheticism and superficialism is even evident from a few lines found in A Few Maxims for the Instruction of the Over-educated and Phrases and Philosophies for the Use of the Young. “One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art,” is a truth which encourages us to carry some sort of superficial beauty around. “Art is the only serious thing in the world. And the artist is the only person who is never serious,” reveals how seriously we take our appearances yet how vulnerable we are underneath our skin— faking our “art” in attempts of being serious only achieves shallowness. When viewing Wit’s End, it was interesting to see how Wilde fell into this belief by completely transforming his fashion and hair; something most of us can relate with all too well. Seeing this documentary allowed me to connect his character with his aesthetic ideals, which were conveyed through Decay of Lying— Wilde was infatuated with his appearance. The relationship between aestheticism and superficialism was clearly exhibited through his persona and exemplified the truth behind “Life imitates art more than art imitates life.”
ReplyDeleteI found it really interesting how you took Wilde's ideas and applied them to contemporary society. Throughout time we still rely on what's on the outside, clothes, beauty, etc, to mask our insecurities and flaws, instead of embracing them unconditionally.
DeleteWhenever a piece of art is incorporated into a class lesson or discussion, the art is described as a reflection of the topic of discussion. Paintings in history books are used to reflect an event or idea that is written in the text. Aestheticism, the foundation of Oscar Wilde’s life and work, turns this perception of art on its head. Wilde strongly believed that art is made for solely art’s sake. It is not used to depict war scenes, daily life, or realism of any sort. The only stories or history that art serves is “that it preserves...the history of its own progress”. Art is a distinguished and independent aspect of society that other concepts, like Life, aspire to be. Through the documentary, it is obvious that Wilde took this idea of being distinguished to heart. In his Phrases and Philosophies for the Use of the Young, Wilde declared, “One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art”. As early as university, Wilde surrounded himself with eccentric and extravagant clothing and items. He adorned his attire with satins, velvets, and lace, receiving gasps and attention that Wilde thrived on. He made sure that he was just as famous, if not more so, for his ornate costumes as he was for his writing. Oscar Wilde prioritized to present himself as a celebrity, whether at parties or overseas on tours. He became the first modern celebrity because of how well he marketed his image. When I initially heard this, I felt that Wilde must have been extremely vain and fake to create such a persona. However, like he notes, “Only the shallow know themselves”. Oscar Wilde was very much involved with his image, but through it he was able to be the charismatic and humorous man that he was known to be, instead of the uptight man Victorian society was known for. Indeed, Wilde’s writing is just as much a piece of art as he made his life to be.
ReplyDeleteI like how you talk about school, and how it likes to find meaning in every piece of art. It does seem like Wilde was thinking about school when he came up with aestheticism, which may be part of the reason why the school and church he worked with stared to hate him later in life. Great blog.
DeleteI like how you talked about his image and how it relates to his writing. I found it interesting that his life was presented in such a way that it itself seemed to be a work of art.
DeleteI like how you highlighted what we do in school when analyzing art and contrasted that with Wilde's perspective. We all describe the work as a reflection of a time in school, whereas Wilde would solely describe the work's essence and beauty.
DeleteOscar Wilde’s life and career is very fascinating. He was a trailblazer in many regards, confident in his controversial and unique approach to art and what it means to be a human being. Though he was a strong proponent of aestheticism, art for the sake of beauty, I have sensed some strong messages in works that we have read from him. He conveys a deep satisfaction with society; his writing contains some scathing criticisms of the Victorian era through very sarcastic parody. He seems to refer to the English as mob-like, uninspired, and overly traditional, for example in many of his maxims such as “public opinion only exists where there are no ideas.” Like many modern artists he sought to shock people out of what he viewed as the lull of daily life. Wilde wore his opinions on his sleeve which got him into trouble. I was shocked when the documentary talked about in the courtroom when asked if he kissed a man, when under questioning, rather than deny it, he goes for a laugh, though incriminating himself in the process, saying “Oh, dear no. He was a peculiarly plain boy. He was, unfortunately, extremely ugly.” It’s this sort of blunt honesty that can be found throughout his literature, which I feel was one of the main factors in his fame.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone else feel similarly that though aestheticism as an art form is meant to be void of underlying messages, Oscar Wilde’s writings do in fact contain them?
This is interesting— I hadn't made this connection while reading about him, but what underlying messages are you referring to?
DeleteI think it is interesting how well he flew under the radar. He essentially put his art before himself and the fame which I think made his art stand out more and have a truer meaning. I agree with you that Wilde's writing do in fact contain aestheticism because writing and art still are an expression of ones thoughts and beliefs.
DeleteEDIT: I meant "dissatisfaction" rather than satisfaction.
DeleteI think truly beautiful art incorporates both aestheticism and an underlying meaning. It is important to recognize both aspects when analyzing art. I find that in some cases, people tend to overanalyze one of the aspects and disregard others. The common person usually only enjoys the natural beauty, and aestheticism of the art, while someone who is invested in art, a teacher or an artist themselves, usually focuses on the significance. Sometimes, a person on either extremity can overanalyze one of the aspects, completely dismissing the other. A very important and deep significance of some pieces of art sometimes goes over the heads of common people, and they completely miss the point. Those people tend to believe in the first doctrine of aestheticism, in that “art never expresses anything but itself.” And on the other end, some people try to search and analyze the hidden meaning so much so that they don’t stop to enjoy the plain beauty of the art itself.
ReplyDeleteThe point of this is to show that depending on the type of art, a certain audience won’t grasp the complete beauty of it. This increases the importance of choosing an audience before creating art. Are you making art for the common person, who doesn’t care too much for a deeper significance? Or are you making art to symbolize a greater idea?
Oscar Wilde is one of the few unique artists who focuses solely on art for its beauty, and not its underlying meaning. Many artists work too much on creating a deeper symbolism and a meaning of their art to comment on society, but it is nice for every once in awhile to have art that isn’t all about a hidden meaning, but just something beautiful to enjoy.
DeleteIt's good to mention that one can go to far in either direction, not looking for meaning at all or looking for "too much" meaning. I imagine most people fall closer to one side of this spectrum than the other and it would be better for everyone to try to find that balance a bit more between looking at art for art's sake and looking at art for meaning.
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DeleteI like how you talked about both creating art for meaning and creating art for beauty. I agree that it's important to have both in society. Art can be used as a way to project an important message, but it can also be created just for simplistic beauty.
I, myself, usually focuses on the beauty of art. Often questioning the purpose of certain art and what they intend to express. Oscar Wilde though purposely intended for his audience to appreciate his work rather than over analyzing it, searching for a deeper meaning. I think it is interesting that during his time he was so fearless. Often showing that in his work. He would question the mob like mentality of the English, commenting on how everything is rigid. He, himself, was not someone that would behave like that. As someone who came from a very wealthy upbringing, he shows that. As time progresses he exhibits his love for exgravedance in his works of art and own life. My only question is how did his lifestyle sit with his family who were more like the very English he often would criticize.
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ReplyDeleteWhile, as described in the the documentary, Oscar Wilde was a bright, creative, or out of the box individual, something must have happened in transition between childhood and adulthood, or perhaps he began to notice a change in his peers. Wilde describes that “To be premature is to be perfect”, and perhaps to say that innocence is perfect. Shielded from the homogenous pressures of society, unafraid to be their own outstanding person. At what point in life does one stop being, “a little improbable.” As is when did we become so serious because, “Dullness is the coming of age of seriousness”. This has made me question my own individuality, because I just turned 18, and expected to act my age, grow up, be mature. However, in this process will I ultimately lose myself? I hope not.
ReplyDeleteI also got some major Tim O'Brien throwbacks from one of the doctrines, “Lying, the telling of beautiful untrue things, is the proper aim of Art”. Writers stretch the truth or even make of their own as art can be more truthful than the actual truth. The goal is to feel something, question, agree, or doubt it, but not for our brains to be stuffed with meaningless facts, when it can be filled with meaningful art.
Wilde definitely did not have Dickens' back story. Wilde was able to write aesthetically, and view beauty, as he was surrounded by it. Would it be appropriate for Wilde to ever write a story about the poor, would it be convincing and genuine, would he still be able to translate his ideas about aesthetics, art, and beauty?
The brilliance of Oscar Wilde is many things, but there is something to be said about his way of sounding absolutely nonsensical at first and yet to truly understand what he is getting to, forces you reread and reconsider; taking the time to gather all the history and social commentary that he whips up in short quip. From his "A Few Maxims for the Instruction of the Over-educated and Phrases and Philosophies for the Use of the Young" to his witty one-liners, he has a humoristic intellectual streak and ironic care that rarely many authors can claim to not only being, "[I'll be] a poet, a writer, a dramatist. Somehow or other I'll be famous, and if not famous, I'll be notorious. Or perhaps I'll lead the life of pleasure for a time and then—who knows?—rest and do nothing." (Oscar Wilde) but being a notorious genius.
ReplyDeleteHe was a critic, a journalist, a suffragette, a protester, a brilliant genius. He valued living a balance of continuing origins and creating quite a legacy while too managing responsibilities (social or otherwise and not for the sake of others favour) that most of us, as soon to be adults, are trying to figure out for ourselves: what we want for ourselves and how do we hope to shape our future?
I really liked how you talked about the different roles WIlde had as a journalist, critic, suffragette, protester and so much more. I agree that his work forces people to look at situations differently and find deeper meanings behind each line. He wanted his work to be remembered, and with his irony and humor in a style unlike others before him, it surely has been.
DeleteI, myself, usually focuses on the beauty of art. Often questioning the purpose of certain art and what they intend to express. Oscar Wilde though purposely intended for his audience to appreciate his work rather than over analyzing it, searching for a deeper meaning. I think it is interesting that during his time he was so fearless. Often showing that in his work. He would question the mob like mentality of the English, commenting on how everything is rigid. He, himself, was not someone that would behave like that. As someone who came from a very wealthy upbringing, he shows that. As time progresses he exhibits his love for exgravedance in his works of art and own life. My only question is how did his lifestyle sit with his family who were more like the very English he often would criticize.
ReplyDeleteStudying Oscar Wilde and the idea of aestheticism had me questioning art’s purpose. The idea of creating something simply because it is beautiful puzzled me, as I had an understanding that almost all forms of art had a meaning behind them. Wilde’s ideas on aestheticism were considered controversial, but he proceeded to express them with his art and find a reason to keep doing what he believed in and had a passion for. Something that struck me from “The Decay of Lying: An Observation,” was the third doctrine, “Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life.” I didn’t realize this to be true until reading further and understanding how much we are inspired by art and the beauty it holds. In “A Few Maxims for the Instruction of the Over-Educated”, Wilde writes that “nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.” Wilde is trying to convey the idea that the beauty of art cannot be taught, but it something we understand from the moment we look at it. Oscar Wilde’s controversial thoughts evoked a conversation how important aestheticism can be to art.
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