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Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime, And Other Stories: Oscar Wilde (Classics, Literature, Short Stories) [Annotated]
Lord Arthur Savile's Crime and Other Stories is a collection of short semi-comic mystery stories that were written by Oscar Wilde and published in 1891. It Arthur Savile's The Canterville The Sphinx Without a The Model Millionaire; and, The Portrait of Mr. W. H.
171 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1887
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About the author
Oscar Wilde
5,529 books39k followersOscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is best remembered for his epigrams and plays, his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, and his criminal conviction for gross indecency for homosexual acts.
Wilde's parents were Anglo-Irish intellectuals in Dublin. In his youth, Wilde learned to speak fluent French and German. At university, he read Greats; he demonstrated himself to be an exceptional classicist, first at Trinity College Dublin, then at Magdalen College, Oxford. He became associated with the emerging philosophy of aestheticism, led by two of his tutors, Walter Pater and John Ruskin. After university, Wilde moved to London into fashionable cultural and social circles.
Wilde tried his hand at various literary activities: he wrote a play, published a book of poems, lectured in the United States and Canada on "The English Renaissance" in art and interior decoration, and then returned to London where he lectured on his American travels and wrote reviews for various periodicals. Known for his biting wit, flamboyant dress and glittering conversational skill, Wilde became one of the best-known personalities of his day. At the turn of the 1890s, he refined his ideas about the supremacy of art in a series of dialogues and essays, and incorporated themes of decadence, duplicity, and beauty into what would be his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890). Wilde returned to drama, writing Salome (1891) in French while in Paris, but it was refused a licence for England due to an absolute prohibition on the portrayal of Biblical subjects on the English stage. Undiscouraged, Wilde produced four society comedies in the early 1890s, which made him one of the most successful playwrights of late-Victorian London.
At the height of his fame and success, while An Ideal Husband (1895) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) were still being performed in London, Wilde issued a civil writ against John Sholto Douglas, the 9th Marquess of Queensberry for criminal libel. The Marquess was the father of Wilde's lover, Lord Alfred Douglas. The libel hearings unearthed evidence that caused Wilde to drop his charges and led to his own arrest and criminal prosecution for gross indecency with other males. The jury was unable to reach a verdict and so a retrial was ordered. In the second trial Wilde was convicted and sentenced to two years' hard labour, the maximum penalty, and was jailed from 1895 to 1897. During his last year in prison he wrote De Profundis (published posthumously in abridged form in 1905), a long letter that discusses his spiritual journey through his trials and is a dark counterpoint to his earlier philosophy of pleasure. On the day of his release, he caught the overnight steamer to France, never to return to Britain or Ireland. In France and Italy, he wrote his last work, The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898), a long poem commemorating the harsh rhythms of prison life.
Wilde's parents were Anglo-Irish intellectuals in Dublin. In his youth, Wilde learned to speak fluent French and German. At university, he read Greats; he demonstrated himself to be an exceptional classicist, first at Trinity College Dublin, then at Magdalen College, Oxford. He became associated with the emerging philosophy of aestheticism, led by two of his tutors, Walter Pater and John Ruskin. After university, Wilde moved to London into fashionable cultural and social circles.
Wilde tried his hand at various literary activities: he wrote a play, published a book of poems, lectured in the United States and Canada on "The English Renaissance" in art and interior decoration, and then returned to London where he lectured on his American travels and wrote reviews for various periodicals. Known for his biting wit, flamboyant dress and glittering conversational skill, Wilde became one of the best-known personalities of his day. At the turn of the 1890s, he refined his ideas about the supremacy of art in a series of dialogues and essays, and incorporated themes of decadence, duplicity, and beauty into what would be his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890). Wilde returned to drama, writing Salome (1891) in French while in Paris, but it was refused a licence for England due to an absolute prohibition on the portrayal of Biblical subjects on the English stage. Undiscouraged, Wilde produced four society comedies in the early 1890s, which made him one of the most successful playwrights of late-Victorian London.
At the height of his fame and success, while An Ideal Husband (1895) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) were still being performed in London, Wilde issued a civil writ against John Sholto Douglas, the 9th Marquess of Queensberry for criminal libel. The Marquess was the father of Wilde's lover, Lord Alfred Douglas. The libel hearings unearthed evidence that caused Wilde to drop his charges and led to his own arrest and criminal prosecution for gross indecency with other males. The jury was unable to reach a verdict and so a retrial was ordered. In the second trial Wilde was convicted and sentenced to two years' hard labour, the maximum penalty, and was jailed from 1895 to 1897. During his last year in prison he wrote De Profundis (published posthumously in abridged form in 1905), a long letter that discusses his spiritual journey through his trials and is a dark counterpoint to his earlier philosophy of pleasure. On the day of his release, he caught the overnight steamer to France, never to return to Britain or Ireland. In France and Italy, he wrote his last work, The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898), a long poem commemorating the harsh rhythms of prison life.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 595 reviews
February 15, 2024
Here is a collection of two short stories by Oscar Wilde.
It knows more about him than the Portrait of Dorian Gray, which is good.
I enjoyed reading these novels, although one is more interesting. Listed in Victorian English society, one can see in filigree the habits and customs of that time.
I was especially excited by the crime of Lord Arthur Savile, not least by The Sphinx without Secret, who had not touched me necessarily for the same reasons.
It knows more about him than the Portrait of Dorian Gray, which is good.
I enjoyed reading these novels, although one is more interesting. Listed in Victorian English society, one can see in filigree the habits and customs of that time.
I was especially excited by the crime of Lord Arthur Savile, not least by The Sphinx without Secret, who had not touched me necessarily for the same reasons.
May 10, 2019
Oscar Wilde is one of my favourite authors, I read this book many years ago at school and I remember loving the short stories, especially Lord Arthur Savile's Crime.
I'm very happy to have read it again as I found it extremely entertaining, this book was under no circumstances an “easy read” but that’s what’s great about Oscar Wilde. I highly recommend it.
I'm very happy to have read it again as I found it extremely entertaining, this book was under no circumstances an “easy read” but that’s what’s great about Oscar Wilde. I highly recommend it.
November 6, 2019
Caricaturas Sociais
Wilde adora pôr a ridículo a sociedade inglesa e socorre-se de todos os subterfúgios para o fazer!
A sua imaginação fértil alia-se à sua língua afiada e o resultado é invariavelmente brilhante 😉
Wilde adora pôr a ridículo a sociedade inglesa e socorre-se de todos os subterfúgios para o fazer!
A sua imaginação fértil alia-se à sua língua afiada e o resultado é invariavelmente brilhante 😉
October 24, 2016
There is a sadness that permeates all of the stories of Oscar Wilde which is hard to define...I truly believe that at some point in the future he will be "discovered" by a new generation...making him much more widely read than he is currently. All of the stories in this book are good examples of his talent.
January 8, 2023
"Iar povestirile din volumul pe care vi-l punem la dispozitie sunt bijuterii ale literaturii, la care nu stii ce sa admiri mai intai: umorul - uneori negru, ironia fina, fantezia luxurianta sau satira muscatoare?" spunea scriitorul George Arion despre cartea de fata.
Legat de prima povestire, "Crima lordului Saville", am scris in trecut si mi se pare superfluu sa reiau aceleasi idei, astfel incat va invit sa cititi recenzia aici.
A doua povestire este "Fantoma din Canterville". Cand ambasadorul american Hiram Otis cumpara Canterville Chase toata lumea se mira deoarece este de notorietate ca locul era bantuit de o fantoma care apare mereu inaintea mortii cuiva din familie. Noul proprietar si ai sai se muta fara frica de fantoma si cu o nonsalanta specific americana fata de problemele aristorcratiei britanice.
Este indubitabil o parodie a romanului gotic, fiind scrisa cu multa ironie si umor negru, rezultand o lectura deosebit de satisfacatoare pentru iubitorii genului. Wilde reuseste cumva sa nu supere pe nimeni si chiar si cei mai fanatici cititori de romane horror vor gusta micile "sotii" ale autorului. Iata si cateva mostre:
- Cand fantoma face zgomot pe culoar pentru a-i speria pe locatari, acestia ii ofera lubrifiant cu care sa-si unga membrele ca sa nu mai scartaie.
- Petele de sange ramase pe covor de la primele morti din conac sunt scoase cu detergent Pinkerton.
- Fetele ambasadorului arunca cu perna inspre capul fantomei.
- Cand fantoma rade demonic i se ofera o sticla de sirop de tuse.
In concluzie o sa va placa foarte mult.
"Modelul milionar" este o schita in care il cunoastem pe Hughie Erskine, un domn frumos si educat dar sarac. Intr-o zi acesta se duce in atelierul unui pictor cinic unde intalneste un cersetor luat ca model pentru urmatorul tablou. Erskine ii da cateva monede, lucru ce-i va schimba viata pentru totdeauna. Este o lectura placuta si plina de aforisme.
Ultima, "Portretul domnului W.H.", mi-a placut cel mai putin si trebuie sa recunosc ca m-a si plictisit. Naratorul povestii, impreuna cu acelasi Erskine, discuta despre arta si falsuri. Erskine ii arata atunci un portret pictat de catre un prieten de-al sau.
Povestirea emite o teorie interesanta in legatura cu Sonetele lui Shakespeare.
In incheiere pot doar sa atasez cateva citate si sa reafirm cu tarie cat de fascinant a fost "Printul Decadentei" in literatura:
"M-a facut sa vad ce inseamna Viata, ce semnifica Moartea si de ce Iubirea e mai puternica decat amandoua."
"Singurii oameni pe care un pictor ar trebui sa-i cunoasca, obisnuia sa zica, sunt oamenii care sunt prosti si frumosi, oameni care sa nasca o placere artistica privindu-i si o relaxare intelectuala discutand cu ei."
"Barbatii de prima clasa si femeile dragute conduc lumea, sau macar ar trebui s-o faca."
"Inima unui artist este capul lui, raspunde Trevor; si in plus, meseria noastra este sa ilustram lumea asa cum o vedem, nu sa o schimbam in forma in care o stim."
Legat de prima povestire, "Crima lordului Saville", am scris in trecut si mi se pare superfluu sa reiau aceleasi idei, astfel incat va invit sa cititi recenzia aici.
A doua povestire este "Fantoma din Canterville". Cand ambasadorul american Hiram Otis cumpara Canterville Chase toata lumea se mira deoarece este de notorietate ca locul era bantuit de o fantoma care apare mereu inaintea mortii cuiva din familie. Noul proprietar si ai sai se muta fara frica de fantoma si cu o nonsalanta specific americana fata de problemele aristorcratiei britanice.
Este indubitabil o parodie a romanului gotic, fiind scrisa cu multa ironie si umor negru, rezultand o lectura deosebit de satisfacatoare pentru iubitorii genului. Wilde reuseste cumva sa nu supere pe nimeni si chiar si cei mai fanatici cititori de romane horror vor gusta micile "sotii" ale autorului. Iata si cateva mostre:
- Cand fantoma face zgomot pe culoar pentru a-i speria pe locatari, acestia ii ofera lubrifiant cu care sa-si unga membrele ca sa nu mai scartaie.
- Petele de sange ramase pe covor de la primele morti din conac sunt scoase cu detergent Pinkerton.
- Fetele ambasadorului arunca cu perna inspre capul fantomei.
- Cand fantoma rade demonic i se ofera o sticla de sirop de tuse.
In concluzie o sa va placa foarte mult.
"Modelul milionar" este o schita in care il cunoastem pe Hughie Erskine, un domn frumos si educat dar sarac. Intr-o zi acesta se duce in atelierul unui pictor cinic unde intalneste un cersetor luat ca model pentru urmatorul tablou. Erskine ii da cateva monede, lucru ce-i va schimba viata pentru totdeauna. Este o lectura placuta si plina de aforisme.
Ultima, "Portretul domnului W.H.", mi-a placut cel mai putin si trebuie sa recunosc ca m-a si plictisit. Naratorul povestii, impreuna cu acelasi Erskine, discuta despre arta si falsuri. Erskine ii arata atunci un portret pictat de catre un prieten de-al sau.
Povestirea emite o teorie interesanta in legatura cu Sonetele lui Shakespeare.
In incheiere pot doar sa atasez cateva citate si sa reafirm cu tarie cat de fascinant a fost "Printul Decadentei" in literatura:
"M-a facut sa vad ce inseamna Viata, ce semnifica Moartea si de ce Iubirea e mai puternica decat amandoua."
"Singurii oameni pe care un pictor ar trebui sa-i cunoasca, obisnuia sa zica, sunt oamenii care sunt prosti si frumosi, oameni care sa nasca o placere artistica privindu-i si o relaxare intelectuala discutand cu ei."
"Barbatii de prima clasa si femeile dragute conduc lumea, sau macar ar trebui s-o faca."
"Inima unui artist este capul lui, raspunde Trevor; si in plus, meseria noastra este sa ilustram lumea asa cum o vedem, nu sa o schimbam in forma in care o stim."
October 25, 2016
Imagine you're attending a reception where you get to meet a cheiromantist (palm reader dude), this later tell you that you're gonna commit murder, what would you do? That's exactely what happened to Lord Arthur, who's engaged to be married to the most beautiful lady in london, lord Arthur loves her so much, he decides to postpone the wedding until his business's done (killing someone) but, every victim he chooses seems to slip through his fingers.. What would become of him?
In general, a sane person wouldn't care the less about the cheiromatist's predictions, what made me seriously question lord Arthur's mental state and intellect :D
It was really funny with a lot of irony!
In general, a sane person wouldn't care the less about the cheiromatist's predictions, what made me seriously question lord Arthur's mental state and intellect :D
It was really funny with a lot of irony!
May 12, 2020
A collection of five of Oscar Wilde’s classic short stores. For the most part - 4/5 - I really enjoyed these. Arthur Saville was interesting, Sphinx and Millionaire were short and sweet, but my favourite was definitely The Canterville Ghost. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy the last story in the collection, The Portrait of Mr. W. H.. It was just a boring, long-winded Shakespeare theory with a weird ending. But four out of five ain’t bad!
Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime - 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Canterville Ghost - 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Sphinx Without A Secret - 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Model Millionaire - 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Portrait of Mr. W. H. - 1.5 Stars ⭐️✨
Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime - 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Canterville Ghost - 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Sphinx Without A Secret - 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Model Millionaire - 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Portrait of Mr. W. H. - 1.5 Stars ⭐️✨
August 31, 2024
Well, you can never be sure with Oscar Wilde's intentions ( in his own life as in his works) as he always looks at the brink of pulling your leg. That's the case with our dear Lord, who's told that his destiny is to become a murderer. What would you do if such a thing happens to you?
As a real gentleman, the Lord took it on the hard way and jumped into the business. If he was lucky or not, a couple of hours (if you're a slow reader...) later and you'll know.
As a real gentleman, the Lord took it on the hard way and jumped into the business. If he was lucky or not, a couple of hours (if you're a slow reader...) later and you'll know.
February 5, 2024
I saw this book at the library and just randomly decided to give it a try! Some stories I really enjoyed (my favourite being Lord Arthur Savile's Crime) but others were kind of a let down.
overall rating:
ೃ༄ ➳ 3.5 stars
Lord Arthur Savile's Crime - 4.25✰
Woah, I was pleasantly surprised by this first story, I actually really liked it.
quotes:
❝The world is a stage, but the play is badly cast.❞
❝There was something in the dawn’s delicate loveliness that seemed to him inexpressibly pathetic, and he thought of all the days that break in beauty, and that set in storm.❞
❝And yet it was not the mystery, but the comedy of suffering that struck him; its absolute uselessness, its grotesque want of meaning. How incoherent everything seemed! How lacking in all harmony! He was amazed at the discord between the shallow optimism of the day, and the real facts of existence. He was still very young.❞
The Canterville Ghost - 4✰
Hilarious and brilliant!
quotes:
❝I reckon that if there were such a thing as a ghost in Europe, we'd have it at home in a very short time in one of our public museums, or on the road as a show.❞
❝Death must be so beautiful. To lie in the soft brown earth, with the grasses waving above one's head, and listen to silence. To have no yesterday, and no tomorrow. To forget time, to forgive life, to be at peace.❞
❝He made me see what Life is, and what Death signifies, and why Love is stronger than both.❞
The Model Millionaire - 3.5✰
This one surely put a smile on my face :)
quotes:
❝Unless one is wealthy there is no use in being a charming fellow. Romance is the privilege of the rich, not the profession of the un-employed. The poor should be practical and prosaic. It is better to have a permanent income than to be fascinating.❞
❝What was a butterfly to do among bulls and bears?❞
The Young King - 3✰
I liked this story too, but not as much as the previous ones.
quotes:
❝Shall Joy wear what Grief had fashioned?❞
❝More often he would be alone, feeling through a certain quick instinct, which was almost a divination, that the secrets of art are best learned in secret, and that Beauty, like Wisdom, loves the lonely worshipper.❞
The Fisherman and his Soul - 2✰
It was a short story but it still managed to feel dragged out...
quotes:
❝Of what value is my soul to me? I cannot see it. I may not touch it. I do not know it.❞
❝She is fairer than the morning star, and whiter than the moon. For her body I would give my soul, and for her love I would surrender heaven.❞
The Happy Prince - 4✰
Ahh this felt like a warm hug.
quotes:
❝My courtiers called me the Happy Prince, and happy indeed I was, if pleasure be happiness. So I lived, and so I died. And now that I am dead they have set me up here so high that I can see all the ugliness and all the misery of my city, and though my heart is made of lead yet I cannot choose but weep.❞
❝As he is no longer beautiful he is no longer useful.❞
The Devoted Friend - 3✰
Broke my heart a little.
quotes:
❝Love is all very well in its way, but friendship is much higher.❞
The Portrait of Mr W.H. - 3✰
Initially it gave me major flashbacks to The Picture Of Dorian Gray then it started analyzing Shakespeare in great detail...
quotes:
❝It is always a silly thing to give advice, but to give good advice is absolutely fatal.❞
❝All charming people, I fancy, are spoiled. It is the secret to their attraction.❞
overall rating:
ೃ༄ ➳ 3.5 stars
Lord Arthur Savile's Crime - 4.25✰
Woah, I was pleasantly surprised by this first story, I actually really liked it.
quotes:
❝The world is a stage, but the play is badly cast.❞
❝There was something in the dawn’s delicate loveliness that seemed to him inexpressibly pathetic, and he thought of all the days that break in beauty, and that set in storm.❞
❝And yet it was not the mystery, but the comedy of suffering that struck him; its absolute uselessness, its grotesque want of meaning. How incoherent everything seemed! How lacking in all harmony! He was amazed at the discord between the shallow optimism of the day, and the real facts of existence. He was still very young.❞
The Canterville Ghost - 4✰
Hilarious and brilliant!
quotes:
❝I reckon that if there were such a thing as a ghost in Europe, we'd have it at home in a very short time in one of our public museums, or on the road as a show.❞
❝Death must be so beautiful. To lie in the soft brown earth, with the grasses waving above one's head, and listen to silence. To have no yesterday, and no tomorrow. To forget time, to forgive life, to be at peace.❞
❝He made me see what Life is, and what Death signifies, and why Love is stronger than both.❞
The Model Millionaire - 3.5✰
This one surely put a smile on my face :)
quotes:
❝Unless one is wealthy there is no use in being a charming fellow. Romance is the privilege of the rich, not the profession of the un-employed. The poor should be practical and prosaic. It is better to have a permanent income than to be fascinating.❞
❝What was a butterfly to do among bulls and bears?❞
The Young King - 3✰
I liked this story too, but not as much as the previous ones.
quotes:
❝Shall Joy wear what Grief had fashioned?❞
❝More often he would be alone, feeling through a certain quick instinct, which was almost a divination, that the secrets of art are best learned in secret, and that Beauty, like Wisdom, loves the lonely worshipper.❞
The Fisherman and his Soul - 2✰
It was a short story but it still managed to feel dragged out...
quotes:
❝Of what value is my soul to me? I cannot see it. I may not touch it. I do not know it.❞
❝She is fairer than the morning star, and whiter than the moon. For her body I would give my soul, and for her love I would surrender heaven.❞
The Happy Prince - 4✰
Ahh this felt like a warm hug.
quotes:
❝My courtiers called me the Happy Prince, and happy indeed I was, if pleasure be happiness. So I lived, and so I died. And now that I am dead they have set me up here so high that I can see all the ugliness and all the misery of my city, and though my heart is made of lead yet I cannot choose but weep.❞
❝As he is no longer beautiful he is no longer useful.❞
The Devoted Friend - 3✰
Broke my heart a little.
quotes:
❝Love is all very well in its way, but friendship is much higher.❞
The Portrait of Mr W.H. - 3✰
Initially it gave me major flashbacks to The Picture Of Dorian Gray then it started analyzing Shakespeare in great detail...
quotes:
❝It is always a silly thing to give advice, but to give good advice is absolutely fatal.❞
❝All charming people, I fancy, are spoiled. It is the secret to their attraction.❞
September 6, 2025
Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime and The Canterville Ghost are worth reading.
June 10, 2017
Una fotoreseña de una edición que vale mucho la pena tener.
Oscar Wilde es mi escritor favorito y uno de mis proyectos es irme haciendo poco a poco con todas sus obras ya sea ensayo, obra de teatro y cuentos. Esta edición es una de sus obras más conocidas y cuenta con cuatro relatos donde se muestra su lado más humorísitico y sarcástico donde predomina la parodia de los relatos de terror, el relato detectivesco entre otras críticas a la sociedad victoriana.
Estos relatos son una relectura para mí pero que no significa que no me gusten cuando los vuelvo a retomar. La edición es en pasta dura muy bonita y contiene ilustraciones de página completa. Contiene cuatro relatos de los más conocidos y populares del autor. El primero es el que da al nombre al libro. 'El crimen de Lord Arthur Savile' es una parodia de los relatos detectivescos donde la ironía viene muy cargada por parte de los comentarios sarcásticos de Lady Windmere.
Reseña completa: http://rapsodia-literaria.blogspot.co...
Oscar Wilde es mi escritor favorito y uno de mis proyectos es irme haciendo poco a poco con todas sus obras ya sea ensayo, obra de teatro y cuentos. Esta edición es una de sus obras más conocidas y cuenta con cuatro relatos donde se muestra su lado más humorísitico y sarcástico donde predomina la parodia de los relatos de terror, el relato detectivesco entre otras críticas a la sociedad victoriana.
Estos relatos son una relectura para mí pero que no significa que no me gusten cuando los vuelvo a retomar. La edición es en pasta dura muy bonita y contiene ilustraciones de página completa. Contiene cuatro relatos de los más conocidos y populares del autor. El primero es el que da al nombre al libro. 'El crimen de Lord Arthur Savile' es una parodia de los relatos detectivescos donde la ironía viene muy cargada por parte de los comentarios sarcásticos de Lady Windmere.
Reseña completa: http://rapsodia-literaria.blogspot.co...
June 20, 2025
I remember reading this for a book reading competition by British Council. I loved this book then. I was one of the winners so thanks to all those books.(haven't found all of the books here yet)
My favourite story is of course the first one, 'Lord Arthur's Crime'. The ending surprised me and it was kind of thought provoking.
It's short. Try giving it a try.
My favourite story is of course the first one, 'Lord Arthur's Crime'. The ending surprised me and it was kind of thought provoking.
It's short. Try giving it a try.
July 2, 2019
I have noticed that different editions have different content. My edition included Lord Arthur Savile's Crime, The Canterville Ghost, The Model Millionaire, The Sphinx Without a Secret, and The Portrait of Mr. W.H.
By far my favourite of the bunch is The Canterville Ghost. It is a riot of a ghost story.
By far my favourite of the bunch is The Canterville Ghost. It is a riot of a ghost story.
September 11, 2018
Mais uma leitura que serviu para reforçar a ideia que eu tinha do autor: perspicácia e sentido de humor são o seu nome do meio!
April 16, 2023
This is probably Wilde's strongest collection of stories. They veer away from the fable style of his earlier ones, and Lord Arthur Savile's Crime, in particular, is his best. Even so, his short story work is his least compelling in his oeuvre.
November 29, 2011
I was surprised when I discovered I hadn't read this set of Oscar Wilde's short stories. They're mordant and poignant, Wilde's own brand--and they reawakened my interest in one of the abiding mysteries about Wm. Shakespeare: Who inspired his Sonnets, which he dedicated to 'Mr W H'? Wilde's story is about a theory founded in Wilde's time by Thomas Tyrwhitt, which said that the Sonnets were dedicated to Willie Hughs or Hues. Tyrwhitt gathered the 'evidence' from the Sonnets alone. Young boys played females on stage at that time, so it's beyond reasonable doubt that a long succession of beautiful young men paraded through Shakespeare's life--a theory Wilde was pre-disposed to enjoy. The evidence, at least while you're reading of it in the story, is compelling. Sonnet 20, for instance makes sense of the poet's use of the words 'Will' and 'Hues'. It's a bit circular, but Mr W H was someone. Why not the 'fair youth'? Tyrwhitt's theory still enjoys some credibility, and it seems clear that Wilde believed it, or wanted to so much that he set all skepticism aside.
My other favorite is 'The Canterville Ghost'. Re-written today, would make a great kid's book. An American family buys a creepy old pile in England and confronts a particularly gruesome ghost that everyone tried to warn them about. The family suffers a number of confrontations, then take things into their own hands...
My other favorite is 'The Canterville Ghost'. Re-written today, would make a great kid's book. An American family buys a creepy old pile in England and confronts a particularly gruesome ghost that everyone tried to warn them about. The family suffers a number of confrontations, then take things into their own hands...
February 11, 2017
Um quiromante anuncia a lord Savile através da leitura da palma de sua mão que ele cometerá um crime. Prestes a se casar ele adia o casamento para se concentrar exclusivamente na execução desse crime. Louco , paranóico , tentará de tudo pra fazer cumprir o seu destino.
November 9, 2008
"The world is a stage, but the play is badly cast."
August 22, 2023
O Crime de Lord Artur Saville - 5*
O Fantasma de Canterville - 4*
A Esfinge Sem Segredo - 3*
O Modelo Milionário - 3,5*
O Fantasma de Canterville - 4*
A Esfinge Sem Segredo - 3*
O Modelo Milionário - 3,5*
April 11, 2021
One forgets quite easily how good a storyteller Oscar Wilde was. His notorious, scandalous and recklessly entertaining personality often overshadows the abilities for which he acquired this same personality in the first place - his gift of not just a droll sense of humour and sardonic, paradoxical wit but also of infusing both effortlessly, fluidly into a coherent, concise story or narrative without ever lowering it into parody.
The best example of this uncanny ability is to be demonstrated in the titular story of this slim little collection. As others have rightfully remarked here on Goodreads, "Lord Arthur Savile's Crime" is both not an eerie suspense story in the conventional sense and a supremely eerie suspense story laced with pitch-black gallows humour at the same time. It involves a moral conundrum, a mind-boggling situation of predestination and inevitable doom but Wilde ingeniously, devilishly, meshes it with a darkly comic solution for the said conundrum as well as an organically evolving streak of nimble, sure-footed social satire aimed sharply at English aristocracy and a bold but brilliantly executed digression into ethical questions of romantic loyalty and integrity that suddenly makes us care for these characters at the same time.
The same perfect harmony of both incisive satire and cleverly wrought drama, enlivened with his trademark wit, is also to be found in the other stories as well, particularly in "The Canterville Ghost" which should be rightfully applauded as one of the finest, most empathetic and well-rounded ghost stories ever written, not to forget, also one of the most skillful pieces of a cheerful, lightly satirical poke of humour aimed at American consumerism and bravado. "The Model Millionaire", a story that I remember having read even before, is vintage Wilde; it has the miraculous optimism of the more upbeat of his stories and also the subtle, polished cynicism balanced delicately on the other end and can be best enjoyed as an inspiration to the likes of Saki and P.G Wodehouse.
The only reason why I take away one star from what was otherwise a most entertaining, even enlightening and cheerfully witty read for me is that the last two stories in this collection, despite the skills evident in both, don't quite take off as smoothly as the other three tales. "The Sphinx Without A Secret" works towards an ironical conclusion that feels, ultimately, anticlimactic and while "The Portrait Of Mr. W.H" is a bold and very sincere effort by Wilde to question a myth about Shakespeare and also come to terms with his own ambivalence, it becomes a little didactic and long-winded, instead of the skillfully constructed story that it should have been.
But this is just a minor complaint. Wilde is a deliriously wacky and warm writer to read in such desperate and disillusioning times and this collection comes fully recommended from me.
The best example of this uncanny ability is to be demonstrated in the titular story of this slim little collection. As others have rightfully remarked here on Goodreads, "Lord Arthur Savile's Crime" is both not an eerie suspense story in the conventional sense and a supremely eerie suspense story laced with pitch-black gallows humour at the same time. It involves a moral conundrum, a mind-boggling situation of predestination and inevitable doom but Wilde ingeniously, devilishly, meshes it with a darkly comic solution for the said conundrum as well as an organically evolving streak of nimble, sure-footed social satire aimed sharply at English aristocracy and a bold but brilliantly executed digression into ethical questions of romantic loyalty and integrity that suddenly makes us care for these characters at the same time.
The same perfect harmony of both incisive satire and cleverly wrought drama, enlivened with his trademark wit, is also to be found in the other stories as well, particularly in "The Canterville Ghost" which should be rightfully applauded as one of the finest, most empathetic and well-rounded ghost stories ever written, not to forget, also one of the most skillful pieces of a cheerful, lightly satirical poke of humour aimed at American consumerism and bravado. "The Model Millionaire", a story that I remember having read even before, is vintage Wilde; it has the miraculous optimism of the more upbeat of his stories and also the subtle, polished cynicism balanced delicately on the other end and can be best enjoyed as an inspiration to the likes of Saki and P.G Wodehouse.
The only reason why I take away one star from what was otherwise a most entertaining, even enlightening and cheerfully witty read for me is that the last two stories in this collection, despite the skills evident in both, don't quite take off as smoothly as the other three tales. "The Sphinx Without A Secret" works towards an ironical conclusion that feels, ultimately, anticlimactic and while "The Portrait Of Mr. W.H" is a bold and very sincere effort by Wilde to question a myth about Shakespeare and also come to terms with his own ambivalence, it becomes a little didactic and long-winded, instead of the skillfully constructed story that it should have been.
But this is just a minor complaint. Wilde is a deliriously wacky and warm writer to read in such desperate and disillusioning times and this collection comes fully recommended from me.
November 12, 2017
Review in English and in Spanish
This is my first time reading OSCAR WILDE and I already consider myself as a fan, I really liked this story. The scenarios and the plot are very good, it takes you to follow this wonderful character to assume his destiny. I love how it captures the intrigue, the irony and even the vocabulary is very rich and interesting, highly recommended to start reading this author.
Esta fue mi primera vez leyendo a OSCAR WILDE y ya me considero una fan, me gusto mucho este cuento. Los escenarios y la trama son muy buenas, te lleva a seguir a este maravillo personaje a asumir su destino. Amo como captura la intriga, la ironía e incluso el vocabulario es muy rico e interesante, muy recomendable para empezar a leer este autor.
This is my first time reading OSCAR WILDE and I already consider myself as a fan, I really liked this story. The scenarios and the plot are very good, it takes you to follow this wonderful character to assume his destiny. I love how it captures the intrigue, the irony and even the vocabulary is very rich and interesting, highly recommended to start reading this author.
Esta fue mi primera vez leyendo a OSCAR WILDE y ya me considero una fan, me gusto mucho este cuento. Los escenarios y la trama son muy buenas, te lleva a seguir a este maravillo personaje a asumir su destino. Amo como captura la intriga, la ironía e incluso el vocabulario es muy rico e interesante, muy recomendable para empezar a leer este autor.
October 14, 2022
Обичам го Оскар Уайлд и това е. Изключително удоволствие е да го чета, да се спирам от време на време да се насладя на остроумията и да си ги записвам в главата за ползване.
December 22, 2019
“Were these children of sin and misery predestined to their end, as he to his? Were they, like him, merely the puppets of a monstrous show?”
Fatalism, self-fulfilling prophecy, and the inexorability of destiny. These are the themes present in Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime. The eponymous character is a carefree, lighthearted socialite who experiences a rather severe panic attack after having his fortune told by a chiromancer. “Murder! That is what the chiromantist had seen there. Murder! The very night seemed to know it, and the desolate wind to howl it in his ear.”
Savile, therefore, decides that his marriage to Sibyl, as the fiancée is aptly named, must be put off. He believes in the superstitious and metaphysical ideas of the chiromancer and chooses a victim in order to kill them and get the whole thing over with.
One thing you notice about Wilde when you read a lot of his works is that most of his characters tend to be mouthpieces for his decadent and aesthetic philosophy. In other words, they are fictional versions of Oscar Wilde. All of the epigrammatic little sentences and aphorisms in his stories could have been a witty little quip that Wilde himself said in a soirée or something.
Nevertheless, Lord Arthur Savile’s crime is a highly enjoyable story. All fans of Wilde must read it.
Fatalism, self-fulfilling prophecy, and the inexorability of destiny. These are the themes present in Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime. The eponymous character is a carefree, lighthearted socialite who experiences a rather severe panic attack after having his fortune told by a chiromancer. “Murder! That is what the chiromantist had seen there. Murder! The very night seemed to know it, and the desolate wind to howl it in his ear.”
Savile, therefore, decides that his marriage to Sibyl, as the fiancée is aptly named, must be put off. He believes in the superstitious and metaphysical ideas of the chiromancer and chooses a victim in order to kill them and get the whole thing over with.
One thing you notice about Wilde when you read a lot of his works is that most of his characters tend to be mouthpieces for his decadent and aesthetic philosophy. In other words, they are fictional versions of Oscar Wilde. All of the epigrammatic little sentences and aphorisms in his stories could have been a witty little quip that Wilde himself said in a soirée or something.
Nevertheless, Lord Arthur Savile’s crime is a highly enjoyable story. All fans of Wilde must read it.
February 9, 2017
Cuốn sách gồm 4 truyện ngắn của tác giả Oscar Wilde, nhà văn Ireland thời đại Victoria. Mặc dù chỉ 127 trang, cả 4 truyện đều rất dễ hiểu, có tính hài hước, châm biếm cao.
1. Tội ác của Huân tước Arthur Savile: Đây là câu chuyện mình thích nhất, truyện kể về ngài Huân tước là nạn nhân của mê tín dị đoan, nhấn mạnh ranh giới mong manh giữa thiện và ác. Trong ba lần "thử làm sát nhân" của vị Huân tước, hai lần đầu đều là những tình huống dở khóc dở cười, đem lại tiếng cười sâu cay.
2. Người mẫu triệu phú: Không có ấn tượng lắm với truyện này.
3. Bí mật nhân sư: Câu chuyện là ứng dụng thất bại của câu nói: "A secret makes a woman woman". Câu nói nổi tiếng trong truyện: "Đàn bà là để yêu, không phải là để hiểu".
4. Con ma của dòng họ Canterville: Tựa truyện tưởng như truyện kinh dị nhưng lại vô cùng hài hước. Cái chết được Oscar Wilde miêu tả vô cùng nên thơ, lãng mạn: "Cái Chết đẹp đến thế. Được nằm trong lòng đất mềm mại, cỏ rậm rì trên đầu và lắng nghe âm thanh của sự lặng im. Không có quá khứ, cũng chẳng có tương lai. Được quên đi thời gian, được tha thứ cho cuộc đời và được an nghỉ."
1. Tội ác của Huân tước Arthur Savile: Đây là câu chuyện mình thích nhất, truyện kể về ngài Huân tước là nạn nhân của mê tín dị đoan, nhấn mạnh ranh giới mong manh giữa thiện và ác. Trong ba lần "thử làm sát nhân" của vị Huân tước, hai lần đầu đều là những tình huống dở khóc dở cười, đem lại tiếng cười sâu cay.
2. Người mẫu triệu phú: Không có ấn tượng lắm với truyện này.
3. Bí mật nhân sư: Câu chuyện là ứng dụng thất bại của câu nói: "A secret makes a woman woman". Câu nói nổi tiếng trong truyện: "Đàn bà là để yêu, không phải là để hiểu".
4. Con ma của dòng họ Canterville: Tựa truyện tưởng như truyện kinh dị nhưng lại vô cùng hài hước. Cái chết được Oscar Wilde miêu tả vô cùng nên thơ, lãng mạn: "Cái Chết đẹp đến thế. Được nằm trong lòng đất mềm mại, cỏ rậm rì trên đầu và lắng nghe âm thanh của sự lặng im. Không có quá khứ, cũng chẳng có tương lai. Được quên đi thời gian, được tha thứ cho cuộc đời và được an nghỉ."
November 29, 2023
Masterpiece.
April 28, 2020
really interesting & will study it more closely
July 10, 2019
4,5 Sterne
Großartig, also das Buch war wirklich unheimlich witzig und die Komik der Handlung war gleichzeitig merkwürdig, aufgrund dessen, wie gehandelt wurde, aber auch so schön in Szene gesetzt, dass es einfach unfassbar Spaß gemacht hat dieses Buch zu lesen.
Großartig, also das Buch war wirklich unheimlich witzig und die Komik der Handlung war gleichzeitig merkwürdig, aufgrund dessen, wie gehandelt wurde, aber auch so schön in Szene gesetzt, dass es einfach unfassbar Spaß gemacht hat dieses Buch zu lesen.
April 15, 2015
These are some very good short stories of Oscar Wilde. My two favourites have to be the longer ones in the book.
Lord Arthur Seville's Crime is pretty messed up, at times it was very comical and did remind me of the Ealing comedies, all those failed attempts of murder. Brilliant Story.
And The Canterville Ghost is funny and very moving. I really did start to feel sorry for the ghost and felt like giving the twins a slap.
This collection is well worth reading for fans of Oscar Wilde.
Lord Arthur Seville's Crime is pretty messed up, at times it was very comical and did remind me of the Ealing comedies, all those failed attempts of murder. Brilliant Story.
And The Canterville Ghost is funny and very moving. I really did start to feel sorry for the ghost and felt like giving the twins a slap.
This collection is well worth reading for fans of Oscar Wilde.
June 23, 2020
"He was amazed at the discord between the shallow optimism of the day, and the real facts of existence."
I liked it, a little tale about aristocracy, beliefs, russians, anarchists, and how you shouldn't let anyone read your hand.
I liked it, a little tale about aristocracy, beliefs, russians, anarchists, and how you shouldn't let anyone read your hand.
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