Questions tagged [oscar-wilde]
Questions related to the Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde (1854 – 1900) and his work.
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Who's the woman at the opium den?
When Dorian Gray is at the opium den, a woman approaches and calls him "Prince Charming", prompting the pursuit and then confrontation with James Vane.
After being deceived into letting ...
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What do roses stand for in "The Nightingale and the Rose" by Oscar Wilde?
There are 3 times roses appear in the garden "The Nightingale and the Rose" by Oscar Wilde:
White rose: Marriage / chastity / young love / loyalty
Yellow rose: Betrayal / sadness / doubt
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Can anyone explain this quote by Oscar Wilde: 'Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming...that is all' [duplicate]
Full quote:
Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault. Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these ...
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Understanding the last lines from Oscar Wilde’s The Model Millionaire
The Model Millionaire is a short story about a young man, named Hughie Erskin, who although does not have much money himself, is moved to pity by the sight of an elderly beggar who is posing as model ...
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What does "even so did I" mean?
I am reading Oscar Wilde's poem "The House of Judgment" and it uses the phrase. I have seen it in other older texts. What does it mean?
Here is a copy of the passage. The phrase is bolded.
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Does “The Picture of Dorian Gray” contain any explicit content?
I’m reading The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. So far, I have read the first few pages, and I noticed Basil saying things like “I meet him [Dorian Gray], I cannot be happy without meeting him” ...
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Can someone explain what "corrupt without being charming" means?
From Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray (emphasis added):
those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault. Those who find beautiful meanings ...
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What do these lines mean in 'The Importance of Being Earnest'?
Miss Prism: (Recoiling in indignant astonishment) Mr Worthing! I am unmarried!
Jack: Unmarried! I do not deny that is a serious blow. But after all, who has the right to cast a stone against one who ...
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Meaning of Lady Bracknell's phrasing in The Importance of Being Ernest
Lady Bracknell (to Cecily): Pretty child! your dress is sadly simple, your hair seems almost as Nature might have left it. But we can soon alter all that. A thoroughly experienced French maid produces ...
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Meaning and implication of these lines in The Importance of Being Ernest
Lady Bracknell: There are distinct social possibilities in your profile. The two weak points in our age are its want of principle and its want of profile. The chin a little higher, dear. Style largely ...
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What is the humour behind these lines in 'The Importance Of Being Earnest'?
In Act II of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, Algernon and Cecily have this exchange:
Cecily: I can't understand how you are here at all. Uncle Jack won't be back till Monday afternoon.
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In the given line, what is the relation between ‘short-sighted’ and ‘education’? What does it mean by strict views on education?
In Act II of The Importance of Being Earnest, Gwendolen says this in a conversation with Cecily:
Gwendolen: [...] And certainly once a man begins to neglect his domestic duties he becomes painfully ...
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Is Cecily being sarcastic about the fact that Dr Chasuble is not learned?
In Act II of The Importance of Being Earnest, Cecily has this conversation with Algernon:
Algernon: Ahem! Cecily! [Picking up hat.] Your Rector here is, I suppose, thoroughly experienced in the ...
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What do these lines say about Victorian investments and taxes?
What do the following lines from Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest say about Victorian investments and taxes?
Lady Bracknell :
What between the duties expected of one during one’s ...
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Source of quote: "Speaking the truth that somebody wants you not to publish is journalism. Everything else is marketing."
Heard from a BitCoin motivational speaker:
Oscar Wilde said, "Speaking the truth that somebody wants you not to publish is journalism. Everything else is marketing."
However, we all know ...
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'worth so many beeves' proverb
Can somebody please explain the proverb 'worth so many beeves' in Oscar Wilde's The Rise of Historical Criticism? Here is the context:
The origin of the common proverb ‘worth so many beeves,’ in ...
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In "The Importance of Being Earnest", what does 'Or they come in the evening, at any rate' mean?
In The Importance of Being Earnest, when Lady Bracknell asks Jack about his politics, he answers "Liberal Unionist". Here's the exchange:
Lady Bracknell: What are your politics?
Jack: Well, ...
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