Friday, January 4, 2019
Due Thursday, January 10th - 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.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
-
Overview : Toni Morrison has created a duality in Beloved, as at once the daughter Sethe murdered out of love, and as a former slave who lo...
-
Directions : 1) Please read the following "Recitatif" by Toni Morrison. 2) Take notes . Read slowly, and try to visualize ... -
Part I: Freewriting Either in a series of bullet points or freewriting, explore the following as they pertain to you: “Nature” – Ethnici...
It was not until I had seen Oscar Wilde’s use of aestheticism in motion that I began to understand its appeal for him as a literary method. More than an appreciation of beauty, aestheticism was a means of social satire for Wilde, a glorified debunking of the ideals of the Victorian age. For as he says, “All bad art comes from returning to Life and Nature, and elevating them into ideals.” His upbringing played a crucial role in his artistic choices, defining “Life and Nature” for Wilde as superficial entertainment, at the hand of his mother, her guests, and the children of the elite in boarding school. Reputation was the prized “ideal” of Victorian England, and Wilde exhibited it bluntly and with irony in both his manner and writing. He sought to “shock” by creating art that would reflect society without the social or political motivations that gave it rhyme or reason. His view was that, “In all unimportant matters, style, not sincerity, is the essential. In all important matters, style, not sincerity, is the essential.” Therefore, aspiring to “be a work of art” was an extension of his meaningless, yet excessive embrace of the Victorian style.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you connected Wilde to Victorian style, I think it's really interesting to consider the time period that the writer comes from and how that affects their work and their life. Your blog has me intrigued and I'd definitely like to know more about Wilde and victorian style along with its effect on other people in this time period.
DeletePrior to reading and watching all of the material for Oscar Wilde’s blog, I was slightly confused about what aestheticism entailed and its appeal to Oscar Wilde and his writing style. The short documentary, in particular, really helped me understand where the basis of his love of art and beliefs behind it come from. With his mother who, “dressed as if she were a museum,” and all of the extravagant parties Wilde and his brother attended and paid attention to, it is no wonder that he was molded into a lover of art and a supporter of freedom of expression. As further demonstration of this, he was said to dress extremely unique from his peers, and definitively chose to stray away from becoming a typical, “Oxford bloke,” like many of his comrades. I truly admire Wilde’s way of life and his sheer fondness of trying to “shock” people as Emma said, and the fact that many of his ideals were essentially the backward version of what society’s ideals makes him that much more of an amazing writer; he simply wanted to express that art should be a thing of beauty and, “never expresses anything but itself,” as opposed to some grand statement with an underlying meaning, like much of art tends to be. Some of his phrases and philosophies, however, remain somewhat of a cluster of ideas to me, so I am curious to go into depth about what each individual statement is expressing.
ReplyDeleteI found that I really enjoyed reading the selection of Oscar Wilde’s works, especially the Phrases and Philosophies for the Use of the Young. Although he wrote his works well over 100 years ago, I found that much of the commentary he made is still applicable to our society today. His observations that “Industry is the root of all ugliness” and “Nothing that actually occurs is of the smallest importance” I believe to be true, and both of them resonated with me. I agreed with his debatably cynical yet realistic perspective on life. Like the people who commented before me, I also admire his nonconformity, which I believe is a positive quality for people to have. His outward expression and acceptance of his homosexuality I found to be admirable and brave for a person who, at the time, faced serious consequences if he dared to fully express himself in this way. Conversely, some of the things he said in his writing I did not understand what he was trying to say. For example, the statement Wilde made that “If one tells the truth, one is sure, sooner or later, to be found out” I did not fully understand what he was trying to say and I want to understand what this means.
ReplyDeleteAlthough “At Wit’s End” gave me an insight into his everyday life, along with his family history, his work expressed an even truer story. His personal life showed a more intimate side, one that he spent retreating to the country for secret rendezvous’ with his lovers. I couldn’t help but find similarities between him and the characters from The Importance of Being Earnest. He seems to have lived the life of Jack, retreating back and forth to the country to suit his lifestyle as does Algy. As they talk about in “At Wit’s End” he became careless, willing to be open about his feelings in a time where it wasn’t safe to. This reminds me of one of his “Maxims for the Instruction of the Over-Educated” where he says that “Public opinion exists only where there are no ideas”. He did not care for the ideas of other people, though he enjoyed his writing being popular, love trumped all. His observation: “Lying, the telling of beautiful untrue things, is the proper aim of Art.” also reflects his willingness to meet with men in hotel rooms and countryside inns, all while keeping his wife and two children at home. What I’d like to know is how he had the ability to have this sense of comfort? He lacked safety but seems to have felt that it was something he had, he moved comfortably fulfilling his own whims. Also where did he get all of his confidence from? Although he failed multiple times in his works he seems to so strongly believe in himself.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting how Wilde didn't care about other people's opinions, but loved being popular. I like your questioning of his sense of comfort because it reflects his superior attitude and careless behavior.
DeleteOscar Wilde to me seemed to be ahead of his time. He did not fit the societal mold of “stuffy Victorianism” and embraced the ideas of aestheticism by applying the concepts to his own life and sharing them with others. This stemmed from his parents who also seemed to embrace new ideas as shown through the salons his mother threw. He showed his ideal that “One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art” by wearing fancy clothes and growing out his hair. He really believed that “Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life”. I really think that his ideas apply to today because whether it is a political cartoon, music, a drawing, or some other art form, art is a way for people to express their true feelings and ideas that may not be “acceptable” to speak freely about otherwise. We live in a society where there are certain topics and opinions that are kept to yourself, simply because it is not something people feel they should talk about because of some stigma attached to it. Now although Wilde really looked at the beauty of art rather than the meaning, this has been taken to a new level by allowing it to have beauty and meaning. Wilde really set the stage by creating an atmosphere for new ideas to emerge by using the beauty of art as an expression. His ideas about art impacting life rather than the other way around really ring true today as a way to express ideas. It makes me wonder if Wilde meant to start a new movement in which people could break through the societal norms, and as Emma said, to “shock” people.
ReplyDeleteI think the way you talk about his use of aestheticism in order to express himself and break out of the mold of victorian style is really interesting. Also, when you said "his ideas about art impacting life rather than the other way around really ring true today as a way to express ideas" I thought this perfectly reflected him.
DeleteOscar Wilde is and was a very interesting artist. He looked at art the way not a lot of people did, and for that reason he became so well known. What specifically caught my attention was in “The Decay of Lying” when he used his character to portray his very true feelings about the four doctrines of art. 1) Art never expresses anything but itself.2) All bad art comes from returning to Life and Nature, and elevating them into ideals. 3) Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life.4) Lying, the telling of beautiful untrue things, is the proper aim of Art. I thought that these were very bold statements that he made, but as you think more and more about the meaning behind what he is saying, they truly make more and more sense. Like Kathleen had mentioned in her post, Oscar Wilde was an artist ahead of his time. The more that art progresses throughout history, the more his beliefs make sense. The short documentary “Wit’s End” helped me really understand what Wilde was like growing up, and why he supported the idea of aestheticism. A lot of his knowledge came from his mother, because she had told him that a good story is only a good story if people enjoy, no necessarily if it is true. This is also along the lines of aestheticism. As long as people enjoy it, it does not have to be true, or have meaning. Things in life are meant to be enjoyed, not over analyzed by every person who sees or hears it.
ReplyDeleteOscar Wilde was thought to be an artist with different views on art, however, his thoughts have evolved and people today know aestheticism for what is it. Wilde believes that Art doesn't imitate life, but life imitates art. I thought this was interesting, as to me, it felt like a what came first situation, like the chicken or the egg. I think his perspective on art and how beauty is most important and how all he wants are for things to be beautiful, is what makes his ideas unique and extremely different from other artists’ at the time. In “A Few Maxims for the Instruction of the Over-educated”, Wilde says “the only thing that the artist cannot see is the obvious”. When I read this, I was confused by its meaning, but now I am wondering if what he was saying is that artists can only see beauty and beauty does not lie in plain sight? If that is so though, I feel like it would be contradicting his ideas of aestheticism. Also, I think it's interesting that aestheticism is practically the promotion of fake ideas. Wilde believes that lying at the cost of beauty is worth it and that art shouldn’t express anything except for its beauty. Making people think that your art is beautiful is more important than what it represents. This contrasts with propaganda posters. During World War 2, propaganda posters were an outlet for art and these posters rather than exposing beauty were filled with hidden meanings.
ReplyDeleteI really like your connection to art imitating life or vice versa to the chicken or the egg. I feel like it perfectly captures the never ending debate from both sides. I also liked your connection to the propaganda posters, they had such deeper meaning and intentions compared to art that was just visually pleasing!
Delete- Anna Higgins
Oscar Wilde was most known for his several play writes, but what has intrigued me the most is his outlook on art. After watching the documentary, “A Wit’s End,” I got a deeper understanding of Wilde’s history and who really influenced him throughout his life. The documentary also showed me where is love for his work comes from and why he is so passionate about art. The way Wilde expresses his ideas through his work really makes him stand out. His characters have humor and passion which are good indicators for who Wilde really is. In his essay “The Decay of Lying”, he promotes his view of Romanticism over Realism. His four doctrines done by his character, Art never expresses anything but itself, Life imitated Art for more than Art imitates life, All bad art comes from returning to Life and Nature, and elevating them into ideals, and Lying the telling of beautiful untrue things, is the proper aim of Art is very unique in that time. Wilde’s characters portray a struggle about expression which I find very interesting to read. Knowing more about Oscar Wilde has allowed me to appreciate and admire his work.
ReplyDeleteI found his excerpt on lying interesting because as I read it I began to feel there was little I was actually retaining from the passage. It was as if the words and concepts of the writing were woven together nicely, but had little weight or meaning to them. I could understand what was being said and could relate it back to the simple principles of aestheticism, yet many of the other details seemed to be there simply for show, like the extended metaphor on the Sphinx, “he solid stolid British intellect lies in the desert sands like the Sphinx in Flaubert's marvelous tale, and fantasy, La Chimère, dances round it, and calls to it with her false, flute-toned voice. It may not hear her now, but surely someday, when we are all bored to death with the commonplace character of modern fiction, it will hearken to her and try to borrow her wings.” Lacking extensive purpose but excelling in beauty, Wilde’s writing seems demonstrative of its intended aestheticism. The mythical creatures scattered throughout are lies in their own fabled beauty. He is speaking of potential and yet it feels like he’s lying to us, that there is no real confidence behinds his words, only that he was able to think up a formation of them that he knew people would find audibly appealing and wrote this entire passage around that goal. His relationship with his mother interested me because I feel like often artistic and eccentric types go against a norm their family or their society puts in place, and yet Wilde seemed to amplify the values of his mother and the beauty that their wealth allowed, translating this directly into his work and his beliefs. I felt from Wilde’s quotes that he recalled his youth often and saw his time spent observing his mother as a critical part of his life. He seems to uphold the value of childhood saying, “The old believe everything: the middle-aged suspect everything: the young know everything.” - “The condition of perfection is idleness: the aim of perfection is youth.” If the young can view the purely superficial beauty of the world and be content with it, Wilde would likely want to replicate this ability in his writings, to make the viewer feel as if they are young and without many worries, focusing only on what is in front of them.
ReplyDeleteI felt that the short documentary on Oscar Wilde offered incredible insight into the factors that shaped Wilde into the famous man he was. I definitely believe his parents, particularly his mother, played a huge role in Wilde’s creative development. The extrentic nature of his mother, reflected in her outfits of bright colors, loud jewellery and pictures of relatives, had a tremendous influence on Wilde’s views on the world. He wasn’t afraid to bring bright and bold ideas into the stuffy climate in Victorian England at the time. Wilde often filled his life with bright colors (his dorm was filled with peacock feathers, sunflowers and brilliant blue china). His obsession with ideas that went against the ideas of society was due, in part, to his obsession and devotion to aestheticism. Wilde lived his life trying to make himself a walking piece of art- as part of the aesthetic movement was the believe that the sheer beauty of objects would improve one’s quality of life. Personally, I believe that his devotion to the enjoyment of art is seen in the satire that is so common in his writings- satire is a form of humor and humor in artwork is generally easily appreciated and thus can improve the quality of one’s life. One of my favorite epigrams of Wilde’s is “Friendship is far more tragic than love. It lasts longer.” It’s hard to not smile and when reading it because to many, friendship is in no way tragic and many believe that strong friendships are one of the best parts of life.
ReplyDelete- Anna
DeleteI found your insight and connections between Wilde's work and his upbringing really smart. It's always interesting to think about why someone as unique as him turned out the way he did, and I like that you touched upon that.
DeleteWhen reviewing the life and work of Oscar Wilde, it seemed that he was a man of few principles however, for the third doctrine of aestheticism he made an exception. It states; “Life imitates art far more than art imitates life,” and Oscar wilde lived up to the unlikely beauty and grandeur of his art.
ReplyDeleteWhile Wilde seems to have began to fist formulate the idea of aestheticism from the parties his mother threw, it was not until graduating from University and already establishing some notoriety until he began to lecture on it. Not to belittle his academic and status achievements, but at this point in his career he had yet to manifest any of the philosophy of beauty pleasure and grandeur that he lectured upon, on a fitting scale. In other words, he had produced the “art” and was waiting for life to catch up. Admittedly, his art formal was lackluster up to this point however, he had adequately emulated the ideals of aestheticism in other areas of his life that he most certainly saw as art. Embracing the first idea of aestheticism, he and his art where nothing but them self, and accounting for the second and fourth ideals, which advocate for the presentation of a more beautiful image than reality has to offer, Wilde delivered in full with his flamboyant fashion and vigorously predicting his own success, despite having no reason other than his own self- confidence to indicate it would happen. After returning from his tour in America, life imitates art and Wilde began to enjoy the fame and success he proclaimed he would achieve. Yet, Wilde still stuck to living out his art, only then the more unfortunate parts. As Vivian stated in The Decay of Lying, Wilde’s art dictated, “The only form of lying that is absolutely beyond reproach is lying for its own sake, and the highest development of this is, as we have already pointed out, Lying in Art.” This would come to pass during Wilde’s peak, as he began to lead a double life with his partner Bosie Douglas and indulged in an expensive lystle and many male prostitutes, a major reason for which was the inherent danger, or for the sake of lying. This lye began most prominently in his art with The Picture of Dorian Grey, which, published in 1890, predated his thinly vieled homosexulaty that would be on full display after meeting Bosie Douglas in 1891. The cumulative effect of these events is an astonishing cyle of art and beauty and lyes and life and beauty and lyes.
Unfortunately, Wilde’s according to the laws of Wild’s art he had to have fallen. Especially prominent in the later anecdotes of Phrases and Philosophies for the Use of the Young, is the sentiment that youth, beauty, and all that is good are inseparably intertwined. As such, it is only natural that as he would age, he would lose everything. Both aestheticism and his lifestyle were demanding and unsustainable, and Wilde seemed to lean into that inherit fact. Wilde seemed to have a self-destructive streak between drinking, vice, and always pushing the limits of what he could get away with, and so it would not surprise me if he had simply let aestheticism rule his life by continuing to reward him or crushing him, which in turn emboldened him to sue the Marquess of Queensberry.
It is a common opinion that Wilde’s life was his greatest work of art and if that is the case it is only fitting that it should be the perfect embodiment of aestheticism.
Oscar Wilde was in a way the first Kardashian; he became famous for no true reason. He was famous well before he had published his greatest works. This fact alone says a lot about this man for the time period. People became so fascinated by his persona, whether they loved it or hated it, coming from all sorts of places to be entertained by him at dinner. It seems as though his mother had a significant impact on Wilde’s lavish behavior and obsession with aesthetics. Her tall stature, extravagant and questionable clothing style, as well as her powerful ideas made her a strong figure in his life. Her parlor parties were Wilde’s introduction to high society. Wilde, like his mother, was quite the character, unafraid to speak his mind and satirize society, but his ego often got him in trouble. When he was accused of sodomy by Bosie's father, Wilde decided to sue him and defend himself. The case turned into a public spectacle, people coming to watch Wilde make a fool of himself. In the end, he was found guilty and had to go to jail for homosexuality. He never really recovered after Bosie’s betrayal, having truly loved him, but his relationship with Bosie had been a toxic one, damaging his relationship with his family as well as his well being. Although Wilde was a satirical genius, he was also a selfish hypocrite, but those characteristics go hand in hand in his case. Wilde had no problem criticizing what people found popular, but at the same time absolutely thrived off of the praise he recieved. Wilde’s wicked sense of humour and love of attention were his two greatest and brutal qualities.
ReplyDeleteI like the comparison you made in the beginning with Oscar Wilde being the first Kardashian. I agree with the statements you made, where (like the Kardashians) his fame was first based off of his clothing, lavish lifestyle, and influence from his mother.
DeleteAs famous as Oscar Wilde is and was, it’s no shock he has been so impactful on American society and the world of literature. Yet I still don’t think I understood the full extent of his presence until watching the A&E Biography. His progressive thinking and lifestyle in such a conservative era was something I was surprised by but his openness with these ideas is a big part of the reason our society has come so far from the Victorian Era. His personality definitely translated into his writing with his great use of comedy, satire, and irony. Through this combination of his unique past, controversial ideas, and dedication to art Wilde embodied the aestheticism movement. The quote I thought that really proved this was in the documentary when describing Wilde the narrator said, “his life was his true work of art.” Reading his works only proved Oscar Wildes love for all things of art and beauty. I think that’s why these pieces work so well in tandem the biography illuminates his writing and the meaning behind it that much more.
ReplyDeleteOscar Wilde provided readers a different perspective with oxymorons and comical plays like The Importance of Being Earnest, it’s a different approach that not a lot of displaced outsiders with controversial ideas at the time would be able to produce. Wilde is there to dictate and show that not all artists/writers need to produce their work for sheer fame and their own desires, but for the beauty of it itself without any analysis. He would like the ones who are consuming the art to enjoy it for its simple beauty rather than trying to interpret it for a deeper meaning.
ReplyDeleteOne quote I enjoyed was from A Few Maxims for the Instruction of the Over-educated is, “It is a very sad thing that nowadays there is so little useless information” which stood out to me the most. That could be implied to art and there is not enough “useless” art, meaning pure art that is beauty for its simplified form. This however could relate in contemporary society; we are constantly fed with information that is expected to be utilized in our future education. The mandatory information we need to receive before our advancement to more learning never pauses to allow us to consume information that might have no purpose, but is pleasant to know. It becomes rare for people to appreciate things for reasons other than utility. I would like to analyze each statement and connect it with modern day society.
As put by the woman in the documentary, “if you’re a little advanced at your age, you always end up being burned at the stake.” I believe this quote perfectly applies to Oscar Wilde, through many experiences in his life. As Delia said, he was famous based upon his personality even prior to his writing, being either loved or hated from the very beginning of his career. Prior to this documentary, I did not realize how many dualities Wilde represented and carried throughout his life. Though he pursued aestheticism and many of his works focus on pointing out the superficiality within Victorian society, such as “a really well-made buttonhole is the only link between Art and Nature” and other seemingly pointless quotes within the Importance of Being Earnest, he also crafted some very insightful works and quotes. I really liked his mantra stating that “to love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance.” His serious quotes as compared to satire are almost humorous in the range that he accomplished artistically.
ReplyDeleteIntrigued by these dualities and conflicting beliefs, I researched Wilde’s religion to see his thoughts. Once more he upheld the pattern of contrasting beliefs. Though he was born and raised as an Anglican Christian, his mother had him secretly baptized in the Catholic Church when he was around four. In the Picture of Dorian Gray, the main character, considered an adaption of Wilde himself, desired to join the Catholic Church but instead succumbed to vanity and vice. While Wilde was interested in Catholicism his whole life, he was discouraged by people around him and didn’t convert in fears that relationships would be damaged. On his deathbed, Wilde converted himself to Catholicism. He stated that “people fashion their God after their own understanding. They make their God first and worship him afterwards.” His takes on religion and eventually defying most everyone in his life to embrace his own version of religion is a really interesting insight into Wilde’s character.
- Ally Keenan
Clearly, Oscar Wilde was much unlike any other author at his time. While renowned Victorian-Era writers such as Charles Dickens romanticised the poor, Wilde criticised both the upper and lower class. However, Wilde displayed the upper-class in a different (though still negative) light, making most of his characters almost caricatures of himself and of his audience. This can be shown in The Importance of Being Earnest--more specifically, with the character Algernon. With Algernon’s sarcasm, fixation on beauty, satirical comments on the Victorian Era society (despite being a negative depiction of upper-class men himself), his character mirrors Oscar Wilde. Like Wilde with Lord Alfred Douglas, Algernon seemed to be in love with Cecily purely based on her beauty. One quote from Phrases and Philosophies for the Use of the Young also highlighted this connection between Wilde and Algernon. During the second act of the play, Algernon mentions how he “‘never has any appetite unless he has a buttonhole first’”, where in Phrases and Philosophies for the Use of the Young, Wilde writes that “a really well-made buttonhole is the only link between Art and Nature.” Though seemingly insignificant, the materialism and absurdness of both Wilde and Algernon are reflective of each other. In addition, Lord Henry in The Picture of Dorian Gray is incredibly similar to Wilde. Both he and Wilde share the same beliefs, where they believe “pleasure is the only thing one should live for” and that “the telling of beautiful untrue things” is essential for life. Evidently, Wilde incorporates his own voice into his characters, promoting both the ideas of aestheticism and society. Many of these themes connected to the struggles he faced in his own life as well. For instance, Wilde kept advocating the “the telling of beautiful untrue things”, when his life itself was based off of deceit and lies. This applies to Wilde’s relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas, which was built off of dishonesty. Another tenant in Decay of Lying also seemed reflective of Wilde’s life, that being “art never expresses anything but himself.” These themes of aestheticism embody Wilde himself, where his actions and personality were not necessarily trying to make a public statement, but were made for pleasure and enjoyment.
ReplyDeleteWhile absorbing a variety of texts from Oscar Wilde’s life and history, it is clear that he lived a life full of wisdom and comedy. The Wit’s End documentary provided a great detail of his childhood which was interesting to learn and compare the similarities to a normal childhood. It is clear he grew up in a wealthy household but his schooling and family dynamic weren’t too out of the ordinary. Seeing that a large amount of his humor came from his mother, who was also very comical made his lifetime more relatable and likable. His writing, from the pieces I’ve read in the blog and what we’ve acted out in class both had me giggling in my seat, which is a hard task for any author to achieve through words. Although he did not create a huge amount of work in his lifetime, what he did create is sure to be remembered for centuries. Along with his humor, he was many notable thoughts that provide great insight into the meaning of life. In Phrases and Philosophies for the Use of the Young, Wilde says “Nothing that actually occurs is of the smallest importance”. Thoughts like these make me stop and think about my own life and the importance that it holds. One thing I wonder coming away from these readings is if Oscar Wilde was happy with his work while he was alive, and if he realized the importance it would have for centuries to come.
ReplyDeleteJessica Shay
DeleteEach time we learn about a new artist, writer, or poet in this class, I find that I am fascinated to have never heard of them before. For Oscar Wilde in particular, I enjoyed learning about him from a number of different sources such as the video biography, epigrams, and information that I found about aestheticism. While watching the documentary Wit’s End, the part stood out to me when it said, “Oscar Wilde’s art made him famous but his life was his true work of art”. As Delia mentioned in her blog post, this speaks to the true power of his persona during the time period. The thing I respect most out of many celebrities, including ones in the present day, is their ability to speak their mind. While this can often lead to controversy and trouble, it also makes the general public question their current beliefs, resulting in new ideas and sometimes positive change. In “A Few Maxims for the Instruction of the Over-educated”, Wilde says, “Education is an admirable thing. But it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.” I think this goes well with his belief of “art for art’s sake.” While I value education, I find that I learn the most valuable lessons through experience and self-reflection. If we view art for its beauty, rather than looking for a specific message which is often taught to us in school, we will be able to see the art from multiple perspectives and learn a variety of important things. I believe that training your mind to view everything in life, including art, through a wider lens without the focus of finding “the point of it” is incredibly valuable.
ReplyDeleteOscar Wilde’s controversial work has provided the world with unique perspectives on Romanticism and Aestheticism. Throughout our time in school, we are all taught to analyze works of literature and art for deeper meaning and symbolism, however, Wilde has shown that there is such a thing as just reading or looking at art for the beauty of it. He dives deeper into his perspectives on art and aestheticism in “The Decay of Lying” through the four doctrines.The two that I found the most interesting and revealing were, “all bad art comes from returning to Life and Nature, and elevating them into ideals.” and “lying, the telling of beautiful untrue things, is the proper aim of Art.” Wilde believes that art should always be more beautiful than real life, and that its purpose is to lie about the world and make it seem better than it really is. I find it funny how much of the aestheticism movement centers around “lying” and not portraying anything truthfully, yet this is believed to be the only way that something can be regarded as truly beautiful. Nothing in the world is beautiful enough to be considered art in its own right without being altered in some form.
ReplyDeleteBefore I read the background of Oscar Wilde and watched the documentary, I had very little knowledge regarding the aestheticism movement and what he stood for. However, my knowledge was expanded upon reading these works. The documentary showed me the personal life of Oscar Wilde and found his past to be very interesting. At time where homosxuality was looked down, he used art in the form of stories and plays to truly express his inner emotions that he was not allowed to publically. This allowed me to understand why he developed his belief in the aestheticism, and I have a new perspective on the movement. Also, I found it interesting about his opinion on the truth. His own mother informed him that he should avoid the truth if it is in the best interest of the story, which is atypical of a parent. Also, in some of his works he references that lying is good, which is a perspective that I really never thought about. Overall, I enjoyed learning about the aestheticism movement and Oscar Wilde’s movement.
ReplyDeleteLike many other people mentioned, I think Oscar Wilde's interpretation of art really shaped into what he created. Instead of conforming to preexisting ideas, his individualistic perception of "good" art through his four doctrines. This idea seemed really important to me as I believe it acted as an intrinsic fuel for him to truly express himself rather than merely copy something over or follow the procedural making of existing expressions. I think aestheticism is an important idea that he followed as these ideals of non-conditional artwork helped create better pure expressive art than tangible creation. Overall, the exploration of Oscar Wilde helped me understand art surrounding this
ReplyDelete