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The Wit and Humor of Oscar Wilde
More than 1000 ripostes, paradoxes, and epigrams on sin, society, genius, wealth, men, women, religion, America, education, and smoking: "Work is the curse of the drinking classes," "I can resist everything except temptation," etcetera.
Also excerpts from his trial testimony, where the tragedy implicit in Wilde's humor is nowhere more vivid.
Also excerpts from his trial testimony, where the tragedy implicit in Wilde's humor is nowhere more vivid.
258 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1952
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About the author
Oscar Wilde
5,525 books38.9k 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 - 19 of 19 reviews
July 27, 2016
The Wild Wit Of Oscar Wilde
More than a century after his death, Oscar Wilde still intrigues us. This poet, novelist, playwright, and essayist was also his era's leading aphorist. George Bernard Shaw called him "incomparably the greatest talker of his time -- perhaps of all time." The personality of Wilde as a consummate conversationalist was admired by everyone who encountered him. The smooth flowing utterance, sedate and self-possessed, oracular in tone, whimsical in substance, carried on without halt, or hesitation or change of word with the queer zest of a man perfect at the game.
This book an excellent one for anyone to understand and appreciate the impromptu wacky wit of Oscar Wilde. Once in a while, it is good to pick up a book like this and let your hair down (Ideal for bathroom reading too).
So perfect were Wilde's verbal thrusts that his victims were often flattered to have been the cause of them. Wilde claimed he could discuss any subject at any time prepared or not. A companion once took him up on this claim, asking that he discourse on the subject of "The Queen." Wilde retorted instantly- "The queen is not a subject.' Another time a journalist told him, 'I never discuss subjects on which I don't know the facts.' Wilde quickly observed, "That must limit your conversation frightfully."
William Gilbert (of Gilbert and Sullivan) met Wilde at a dinner party. As usual, Wilde dominated the gathering with his stories and wit. 'I wish I could talk like you', said Gilbert during a rare pause. 'I would keep my mouth shut and claim it a virtue!'
'Ah!, That would be selfish', responded Wilde.' I could deny myself the pleasure of talking, but not to others the pleasure of listening.'
Now and again Wilde found himself bested at banter. One occasion took place in America when a lady told him something was 'awfully nice'.
'But 'nice' is a such a nasty word ,' said a bored- looking Wilde
'Really, Mr. Wilde?', she responded. 'But is 'nasty' such a nice word?'
Wilde once watched one of his old professors give a lecture in London. The man was painfully soft spoken. Afterward, he asked some of the members of the audience if they had heard him. 'Overheard, now and then', said Wilde.
The French actor Coquelin once invited Oscar Wilde to visit him at his home. Wilde asked when he would be there.
'I am always home about nine o'clock', said Coquelin
'very well, then I shall come one evening'
'But, Monsieur Wilde, it is nine o'clock in the morning I meant.'
'Oh! Monsieur Coquelin', said Wilde who routinely slept until mid-day, "you are a remarkable man indeed. I am much more bourgeois than you are. I always go to bed about four or five o'clock. I have never been able to stay awake until that hour.'
Before leaving London for a lecture tour to USA in 1882, Wilde took elocution lessons from a friend. 'I want a natural style ', Wilde told his teacher, 'with a touch of affectation'.
'Well', said the teacher, 'Haven't you got that, Oscar?'
One of his favorites story about America involved those the southern states whose older citizens dated the important events before the Civil war. 'How beautiful the moon is tonight', remarked Wilde to a Southerner. 'Yes', the old southerner replied, 'but you should have seen it before the War'.
While touring in USA, he lingered in New York thinking that someone might produce his play 'Vera'. When a theater manager offered him advance on condition he makes some changes in his script'. He replied demurely, 'Who am I to tamper with a masterpiece?'. Wilde himself liked this wit so much that he used to repeat it on many occasions.
At the end of his lecture tour, Wilde developed a stock response for those who asked how it had gone. 'A great success', he would tell them. 'I had two secretaries. One to answer my letters and the other to send locks of hair to my admirers. I have had to let them both go, poor fellows: 'One is in hospital with writer's cramps, and the other is quite bald'.
During a dinner conversation, Wilde told a host that he'd toiled strenuously that day. "I was working on the proof of one of my poems all the morning and took out a comma," he said.
"And in the afternoon?" she asked.
"In the afternoon," responded Wilde, "-- well, I put it back again."
As this legendary genius rightfully observed, 'Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh'. Good conversation is an ephemeral art, and as the autumn breezes blow brown leaves to eternity, the spring green freshness becomes only a memory. So it is with Oscar Wilde. The wicked wit of Wilde still glows green.
June 2, 2008
Some of my absolute favourites are.....
"Either those curtains go or I do"
"A gentleman is one who never hurts anyone's feelings unintentionally"
"A true friend stabs you in the front"
"Always forgive your enemies - nothing annoys them so much"
"Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes"
"Either those curtains go or I do"
"A gentleman is one who never hurts anyone's feelings unintentionally"
"A true friend stabs you in the front"
"Always forgive your enemies - nothing annoys them so much"
"Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes"
March 7, 2013
Com a leitura deste livro, compreende-se a vastidão de temas que este escritor, Oscar Wilde,tão aclamado, envolvia no seu trabalho, integrando toda a filosofia advinda desse mesmo trabalho na sua vida e vice-versa. Com muitas ideias iluminadas, outras também pouco racionais e mais moralistas, sente-se bem o génio que lemos.
Um único apontamento negativo a este livro é a repetição excessiva de citações para uma obra tão curta, de tão poucas páginas. O editor parece ter forçado a divisão de citações para que se encaixassem em vários temas, o que tira algum entusiasmo ao livro, pois faz o leitor, neste caso a mim, temer voltar a encontrar num curto espaço de folhas ideias que já tinha lido.
Um único apontamento negativo a este livro é a repetição excessiva de citações para uma obra tão curta, de tão poucas páginas. O editor parece ter forçado a divisão de citações para que se encaixassem em vários temas, o que tira algum entusiasmo ao livro, pois faz o leitor, neste caso a mim, temer voltar a encontrar num curto espaço de folhas ideias que já tinha lido.
May 30, 2020
during his last illness he said that he was dying, as he had lived, beyond his means.
January 29, 2013
For all of you quote-alcholics, this is the book for you. With quotes upon quotes from all of his novels, you will dive into this book whole heartly. With a subject by subject notion, this book is divided into subjects such as (women, men, politics, parents, smoking) etc. Fun book, quick, read, for all of you who love to quote authors.
February 12, 2024
To read my full book review - go here: https://thebeerthrillers.com/2024/02/...
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Excerpt:
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This book serves as an outstanding guide for those wishing to delve into Oscar Wilde's spontaneous and eccentric humor. It's a delightful read for moments of relaxation and amusement, and it's even suggested as entertaining bathroom literature.
Wilde's eloquence was so refined that even those on the receiving end of his sharp remarks often felt honored. Wilde boasted of his readiness to tackle any topic at any time, whether he was prepared or not. On one occasion, when asked to speak on "The Queen," Wilde cleverly responded, "The queen is not a subject." In another instance, he quickly retorted to a journalist's claim of only discussing familiar facts with, "That must limit your conversation frightfully."
Even William Gilbert, of the famed Gilbert and Sullivan duo, expressed envy at Wilde's oratory skills at a dinner party, to which Wilde humorously replied that denying others the pleasure of listening to him would be selfish.
However, Wilde wasn't always the victor in verbal jest. During a visit to America, a lady's description of something as 'awfully nice' led Wilde to comment on the inadequacy of 'nice,' only for her to cleverly inquire if 'nasty' was any better.
Wilde's wit shone through in various interactions, whether it was playfully addressing a former professor's inaudibility, humorously arranging a visit with French actor Coquelin, or candidly speaking about his preparations for a lecture tour in the USA, where he sought a "natural style with a touch of affectation."
His humor extended to anecdotes about America, including a memorable exchange about the moon's beauty with a Southerner, and his sly response to a theater manager's request to revise his play 'Vera': "Who am I to tamper with a masterpiece?"
Following his lecture tour, Wilde humorously recounted the toll it took on his secretaries—one suffering from writer's cramp and the other bald from sending locks of his hair to admirers.
Wilde's meticulous attention to his work was humorously illustrated when he described spending an entire morning removing a comma from a poem, only to reinstate it in the afternoon.
Wilde once remarked, 'Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh.' This captures the essence of good conversation as a fleeting art, much like the seasonal changing of leaves. Oscar Wilde's mischievous wit remains vibrantly alive, continuing to enchant and amuse.
----
To read the full review: https://thebeerthrillers.com/2024/02/...
----
Excerpt:
----
This book serves as an outstanding guide for those wishing to delve into Oscar Wilde's spontaneous and eccentric humor. It's a delightful read for moments of relaxation and amusement, and it's even suggested as entertaining bathroom literature.
Wilde's eloquence was so refined that even those on the receiving end of his sharp remarks often felt honored. Wilde boasted of his readiness to tackle any topic at any time, whether he was prepared or not. On one occasion, when asked to speak on "The Queen," Wilde cleverly responded, "The queen is not a subject." In another instance, he quickly retorted to a journalist's claim of only discussing familiar facts with, "That must limit your conversation frightfully."
Even William Gilbert, of the famed Gilbert and Sullivan duo, expressed envy at Wilde's oratory skills at a dinner party, to which Wilde humorously replied that denying others the pleasure of listening to him would be selfish.
However, Wilde wasn't always the victor in verbal jest. During a visit to America, a lady's description of something as 'awfully nice' led Wilde to comment on the inadequacy of 'nice,' only for her to cleverly inquire if 'nasty' was any better.
Wilde's wit shone through in various interactions, whether it was playfully addressing a former professor's inaudibility, humorously arranging a visit with French actor Coquelin, or candidly speaking about his preparations for a lecture tour in the USA, where he sought a "natural style with a touch of affectation."
His humor extended to anecdotes about America, including a memorable exchange about the moon's beauty with a Southerner, and his sly response to a theater manager's request to revise his play 'Vera': "Who am I to tamper with a masterpiece?"
Following his lecture tour, Wilde humorously recounted the toll it took on his secretaries—one suffering from writer's cramp and the other bald from sending locks of his hair to admirers.
Wilde's meticulous attention to his work was humorously illustrated when he described spending an entire morning removing a comma from a poem, only to reinstate it in the afternoon.
Wilde once remarked, 'Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh.' This captures the essence of good conversation as a fleeting art, much like the seasonal changing of leaves. Oscar Wilde's mischievous wit remains vibrantly alive, continuing to enchant and amuse.
----
To read the full review: https://thebeerthrillers.com/2024/02/...
December 8, 2024
Oscar Wilde's thoughts, ideas and sentiments about the world, a well condensed in this little book. Exploring a variety of topics from Women, Men, Literature, Art and the World, Wilde presents a unique viewpoint that still resonates today. A fun light read, well worth it.
May 15, 2017
Witty and humorous. Replete with Oscar Wilde. It delivered as advertised.
I stole a lot of quotes from it, too. And an entire philosophy.
I stole a lot of quotes from it, too. And an entire philosophy.
October 7, 2018
An interesting collection of Wilde's wit & humor as promised in the title.
Enjoyable for those readers who line quite collection or have an interest in Wilde.
Enjoyable for those readers who line quite collection or have an interest in Wilde.
April 27, 2021
So much more then flamboyance.
December 29, 2013
I miss no one so much as I miss Oscar Wilde....I would rather have him back now than almost anyone I have ever met. I have known more heroic souls and some deeper souls; souls more keenly alive to the ideals of duty and generosity; but I have known no more charming, no more quickening, no more delightful spirit....
~Frank Harris, Wilde biographer
I love quotes and I love Oscar Wilde. So what could be better than The Wit & Humor of Oscar Wilde collected and edited by Alan Redman? Not much. The book is full to the brim with over 1000 epigrams on everything from "civilized" society to politics and from love to friendship. The collection presents Wilde's wit and sense of humor at its finest. Redman has done his research--combing Wilde's plays, poems, fairy tales, and correspondence to produce an exhaustive, completely authenticated work. There have been many quotes attributed to Wilde that you will not find here for the simple reason that Redman could find no authentic source confirming that Wilde first said them. A funny and interesting book--just right for the quote-lovers and fans of Wilde alike. Four stars.
This was first posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
~Frank Harris, Wilde biographer
I love quotes and I love Oscar Wilde. So what could be better than The Wit & Humor of Oscar Wilde collected and edited by Alan Redman? Not much. The book is full to the brim with over 1000 epigrams on everything from "civilized" society to politics and from love to friendship. The collection presents Wilde's wit and sense of humor at its finest. Redman has done his research--combing Wilde's plays, poems, fairy tales, and correspondence to produce an exhaustive, completely authenticated work. There have been many quotes attributed to Wilde that you will not find here for the simple reason that Redman could find no authentic source confirming that Wilde first said them. A funny and interesting book--just right for the quote-lovers and fans of Wilde alike. Four stars.
This was first posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
July 22, 2024
"As vidas alheias não nos dizem respeito. Só o pedante e o puritano lançam sobre elas o seu olhar moralizador."
"Cínico é o homem que conhece o preço de todas as coisas e o valor de nenhuma. Sentimental é o que dá um valor absurdo a tudo e desconhece o preço da menor coisa."
"Quando somos felizes somos sempre bons. Em contrapartida, quando somos bons nem sempre somos felizes."
"Aos que têm coisas a ocultar da sua vida encanta descobrir segredos escandalosos nas vidas alheias. Assim distraem a atenção pública das suas."
"Quando uma mulher volta a casar é porque detestou o seu primeiro marido. Quando um homem torna a casar é porque adorava a sua primeira esposa. As muheres experimentam a sua sorte. Os homens arriscam-na."
"Certos músicos são tão pouco razoáveis que exigem que se seja mudo quando, na verdade, o que se queria era ser surdo."
"Tenho os gostos mais simples do mundo - contento-me com o melhor."
"A tragédia da velhice consiste não no facto de sermos velhos, mas no facto de ainda nos sentirmos jovens."
"Cínico é o homem que conhece o preço de todas as coisas e o valor de nenhuma. Sentimental é o que dá um valor absurdo a tudo e desconhece o preço da menor coisa."
"Quando somos felizes somos sempre bons. Em contrapartida, quando somos bons nem sempre somos felizes."
"Aos que têm coisas a ocultar da sua vida encanta descobrir segredos escandalosos nas vidas alheias. Assim distraem a atenção pública das suas."
"Quando uma mulher volta a casar é porque detestou o seu primeiro marido. Quando um homem torna a casar é porque adorava a sua primeira esposa. As muheres experimentam a sua sorte. Os homens arriscam-na."
"Certos músicos são tão pouco razoáveis que exigem que se seja mudo quando, na verdade, o que se queria era ser surdo."
"Tenho os gostos mais simples do mundo - contento-me com o melhor."
"A tragédia da velhice consiste não no facto de sermos velhos, mas no facto de ainda nos sentirmos jovens."
September 15, 2013
After reading The Picture of Dorian Gray it would only make sense to continue with some more Wilde.
This is a book about Wilde's aphorisms divided by topics. Needless to say I underlined nearly the whole and when I have sometime I will totally come here and write the quoted down.
After the shallowness and disgust for women I saw in his preview book I read, this was delightful to see another complete face of Wilde. A more sensitive human being. He was quite repulsed by poverty and considered poor people inferior but after going to prison he realized that lack of money doesn't mean lack of values, or brains, or whatever and he actually felt very touched and respectful with the lives of people he was dealing with everyday.
What really killed me is that after what he went through, being outrageously imprisoned for his homosexuality, he died in the end, being a better person.
note to self: there is a biographical movie called Wilde I totally show check out.
This is a book about Wilde's aphorisms divided by topics. Needless to say I underlined nearly the whole and when I have sometime I will totally come here and write the quoted down.
After the shallowness and disgust for women I saw in his preview book I read, this was delightful to see another complete face of Wilde. A more sensitive human being. He was quite repulsed by poverty and considered poor people inferior but after going to prison he realized that lack of money doesn't mean lack of values, or brains, or whatever and he actually felt very touched and respectful with the lives of people he was dealing with everyday.
What really killed me is that after what he went through, being outrageously imprisoned for his homosexuality, he died in the end, being a better person.
note to self: there is a biographical movie called Wilde I totally show check out.
November 21, 2015
This was pretty humorous. Sometimes, when you take a quote out of context, the humor is lost. Also, the book repeated quotes a couple times.
Other than that, I liked it. Who doesn't find Oscar Wilde humorous? Everyone does, whether they know it or not. Quotes and one-liners are tossed around all the time that no one knows came from Wilde, but they enjoy it anyway.
I find it incredibly amusing that he was the one who said, 'Every saint has a past, every sinner has a future', because churches in my area have begun using it.... I'm sure if they knew the source was a man convicted of sodomy, they wouldn't use that quote anymore.
All in all, amusing and often true. Really, we should all just read his plays, but if you're looking for a particular quote, this is useful.
Other than that, I liked it. Who doesn't find Oscar Wilde humorous? Everyone does, whether they know it or not. Quotes and one-liners are tossed around all the time that no one knows came from Wilde, but they enjoy it anyway.
I find it incredibly amusing that he was the one who said, 'Every saint has a past, every sinner has a future', because churches in my area have begun using it.... I'm sure if they knew the source was a man convicted of sodomy, they wouldn't use that quote anymore.
All in all, amusing and often true. Really, we should all just read his plays, but if you're looking for a particular quote, this is useful.
February 8, 2012
Hilarious, and sometimes thoughtful. Quite the book!
December 16, 2015
"There are two ways of disliking art. One is to dislike it. The other is to like it rationally." - Wilde said this.
February 22, 2013
I really enjoyed reading this collection. I especially liked his defense at his trials.
February 4, 2013
Brilliant!
August 9, 2016
Stephen Fry made me want to have Oscar Wilde at my fingertips. For $1.99 this will do!!!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews