Oscar Wilde - Complete Works of Oscar Wilde

One should never listen. To listen is a sign of indifference to one’s hearers.

Even the disciple has his uses. He stands behind one’s throne, and at the moment of one’s triumph whispers in one’s ear that, after all, one is immortal.

The criminal classes are so close to us that even the policeman can see them. They are so far away from us that only the poet can understand them.

Those whom the gods love grow young.

PHRASES AND PHILOSOPHIES FOR THE USE OF THE YOUNG

( Chameleon , December, 1894)

The first duty in life is to be as artificial as possible. What the second duty is no one has yet discovered.

Wickedness is a myth invented by good people to account for the curious attractiveness of others.

If the poor only had profiles there would be no difficulty in solving the problem of poverty.

Those who see any difference between soul and body have neither.

A really well-made buttonhole is the only link between Art and Nature.

Religions die when they are proved to be true. Science is the record of dead religions.

The well-bred contradict other people. The wise contradict themselves.

Nothing that actually occurs is of the smallest importance.

Dullness is the coming of age of seriousness.

In all unimportant matters, style, not sincerity, is the essential. In all important matters, style, not sincerity, is the essential.

If one tells the truth, one is sure, sooner or later, to be found out.

Pleasure is the only thing one should live for. Nothing ages like happiness.

It is only by not paying one’s bills that one can hope to live in the memory of the commercial classes.

No crime is vulgar, but all vulgarity is crime. Vulgarity is the conduct of others.

Only the shallow know themselves.

Time is waste of money.

One should always be a little improbable.

There is a fatality about all good resolutions. They are invariably made too soon.

The only way to atone for being occasionally a little over-dressed is by being always absolutely over-educated.

To be premature is to be perfect.

Any preoccupation with ideas of what is right or wrong in conduct shows an arrested intellectual development.

Ambition is the last refuge of the failure.

A truth ceases to be true when more than one person believes in it.

In examinations the foolish ask questions that the wise cannot answer.

Greek dress was in its essence inartistic. Nothing should reveal the body but the body.

One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art.

It is only the superficial qualities that last. Man’s deeper nature is soon found out.

Industry is the root of all ugliness.

The ages live in history through their anachronisms.

It is only the gods who taste of death. Apollo has passed away, but Hyacinth, whom men say he slew, lives on. Nero and Narcissus are always with us.

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.

Only the great masters of style ever succeed in being obscure.

There is something tragic about the enormous number of young men there are in England at the present moment who start life with perfect profiles, and end by adopting some useful profession.

To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance.

APPENDIX A:

CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE

1854October 16 Oscar Wilde born at 21 Westland Row, Dublin 1855June Family moves to 1 Merrion Square North 1864-71At Portora Royal School, Enniskillen 1871Wins scholarship to Trinity College, Dublin 1873June Wins Trinity Foundation Scholarship 1874Wins Berkeley Gold Medal June Wins Demyship in Classics to Magdalen College, Oxford October Goes up to Magdalen 1875June Travels in Italy with his old Trinity Classics Tutor, J. P. Mahaffy 1876April 19 Death of father, Sir William Wilde July 5 Gains first class Classical Moderations (Mods) 1877March/April Visits Greece with Mahaffy, returning via Rome 1878June 10 Wins Newdigate Prize with Ravenna July 19 Gains first class in Litterae Humaniores (Greats) November 28 Takes B.A. degree 1879Spring Takes rooms with Frank Miles at 13 Salisbury Street, London 1880Writes and publishes Vera August Moves with Miles to Keats House, Tite Street, Chelsea 1881June First edition of Poems published by David Bogue December 24 Sails for New York for lecture tour of the United States 1882Lectures in U.S. and Canada all year 1883Feb-May In Paris, at Hôtel Voltaire where he writes The Duchess of Padua for the American actress Mary Anderson who then turns it down ? July Moves into rooms at 9 Charles Street, London Aug/Sept Visits New York briefly for first production of Vera with Marie Prescott in the lead; it is not a success September Begins lecture tour of UK which lasts off and on for a year November 26 Becomes engaged to Constance Lloyd while lecturing in Dublin 1884May 29 Married to Constance Lloyd in London May /June On honeymoon in Paris and Dieppe 1885January Moves into 16 Tite Street May The Truth of Masks published in The Nineteenth Century as ‘Shakespeare and Stage Costume’ 1885June 5 Cyril Wilde born 1886Meets Robert Ross who remains life-long friend and after his death becomes his literary executor November 3 Vyvyan Wilde born 1887Feb/March Canterville Ghost published in The Court & Society Review May The Sphinx without a Secret published in The World. Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime published in The Court & Society Review June The Model Millionaire published in The World November Becomes editor of The Woman’s World 1888May The Happy Prince and Other Tales published December The Young King published in The Lady’s Pictorial 1889January The Decay of Lying published in The Nineteenth Century. Pen, Pencil and Poison published in The Fortnightly Review March The Birthday of the Infanta published in Paris Illustré July Gives up editorship of Woman’s World. The Portrait of Mr W.H. appears in Blackwood’s Magazine 1890June 20 The Picture of Dorian Gray appears in Lippincott’s Magazine July/Sept Both parts of The Critic as Artist published these months in The Nineteenth Century as ‘The True Function and Value of Criticism’ 1891? January Meets Lord Alfred Douglas (Bosie) January 26 First production of The Duchess of Padua under the title Guido Ferranti. It opens anonymously in New York and runs only for three weeks February The Soul of Man under Socialism published in The Fortnightly Review April The Picture of Dorian Gray published in book form with additional chapters and a preface May 2 Intentions published (comprising The Truth of Masks, The Critic as Artist, Pen, Pencil & Poison , and The Decay of Lying ) in book form July Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime and Other Stories (the other stories being The Sphinx without a Secret, The Canterville Ghost , and The Model Millionaire ) published in book form November A House of Pomegranates published. It included The Young King, The Birthday of the Infanta, The Fisherman and His Soul and The Star Child , the last two of which had not been published before Nov/Dec Writes Salomé in Paris 1892February 20 Lady Windermere’s Fan produced at St James’s Theatre 1892June A production of Salomé with Sarah Bernhardt in the title role is banned by the Lord Chamberlain July Takes cure at Homburg Aug/Sept Writes A Woman of No Importance in Norfolk 1893February The House of Judgement published in The Spirit Lamp February 22 Salomé published in French April 19 A Woman of No Importance produced at Haymarket Theatre June The Disciple published in The Spirit Lamp October Writes An Ideal Husband November Lady Windermere’s Fan published 1894February 9 Salomé published in English with Aubrey Beardsley’s illustrations May In Florence with Douglas June 11 The Sphinx published July Poems in Prose published in The Fortnightly Review. The Artist, The Doer of Good and The Master are published for the first time Aug/Sept Writes The Importance of Being Earnest at Worthing October 9 A Woman of No Importance published October At Brighton with Douglas November A Few Maxims for the Instruction of the Over-Educated published in The Saturday Review December Phrases and Philosophies for the Use of the Young published in The Chameleon 1895January 3 An Ideal Husband produced at Haymarket Theatre Jan/Feb Visits Algiers with Douglas February 14 The Importance of Being Earnest produced at St James’s Theatre February 28 Finds Queensberry’s card at Albemarle Club March 1 Obtains warrant for Queensberry’s arrest March 9 Queensberry remanded at Bow Street for trial at Old Bailey March Visits Monte Carlo with Douglas April 3 Queensberry trial opens April 5 Queensberry acquitted. Wilde arrested at Cadogan Hotel and charged at Bow Street, Bail refused. Imprisoned at Holloway until first trial April 24 Sheriff’s sale of all Wilde’s possessions at 16 Tite Street April 26 First trial opens May 1 Jury disagree May 7 Released on bail May 20 Second trial opens May 25 Convicted and sentenced to two years’ hard labour. Imprisoned at Pentonville 1895May 30 The Soul of Man under Socialism published in book form July 4 Transferred to Wandsworth November 12 Declared bankrupt November 21 Transferred to Reading 1896February 3 Death of his mother, Lady Wilde February 11 Salomé produced in Paris at the Théâtre de l’Oeuvre 1897Jan-March Writes De Profundis May 19 Released. Crosses to Dieppe May 26 Moves from Dieppe to Berneval-sur-Mer July-Oct Writes and revises The Ballad of Reading Gaol August ?28 Meets Douglas in Rouen September 15 Leaves Dieppe for Paris September 20 Arrives at Naples with Douglas 1898February Returns to Paris February 13 The Ballad of Reading Gaol published end March Moves to Hôtel d’Alsace, rue des Beaux Arts, Paris April 7 Death of Constance Wilde in Genoa after spinal operation June/July At Nogent-sur-Marne August At Chevennières-sur-Marne December Invited by Frank Harris to spend three months on French Riviera at Napoule near Cannes 1899February The Importance of Being Earnest published. Leaves Napoule for Nice February 25 Leaves Nice to stay as Harold Mellor’s guest at Gland, Switzerland April 1 Leaves Gland for Santa Margherita on Italian Riviera May Returns to Paris. Stays at Hôtel de la Neva, then at Hôtel Marsollier July An Ideal Husband published August Moves back to the Hôtel d’Alsace 1900April/May Spends two weeks as Mellor’s guest travelling in Italy and Sicily. After Mellor’s departure Wilde stays on in Rome and visits Naples. He then passes ten days with Mellor at Gland before returning to Paris May Returns to the Hôtel d’Alsace October 10 Undergoes ear operation in hotel room November 30 Dies in Hôtel d’Alsace of cerebral meningitis 1905February De Profundis first published in heavily expurgated form by Robert Ross 1906July Wilde’s estate discharged from bankruptcy. Creditors paid 20/- in the £ and 4% from sales of books.and licensing of plays 1908First collected edition of Wilde’s works published by Methuen, in which A Florentine Tragedy, La Sainte 1908Courtisane, the complete Rise of Historical Criticism and the poem To L.L. were published for the first time as well as a few additional parts of De Profundis 1909Wilde’s remains are moved from the cemetery at Bagneux to Père Lachaise and reinterred under Epstein’s monument. The manuscript of De Profundis is presented by Ross to the British Museum on the condition that it remains closed for 50 years 1945March 20 Death of Lord Alfred Douglas 1949Suppressed part of De Profundis published by Wilde’s son, Vyvyan Holland, from Ross’s typescript 1956First publication of the original four-act version of The Importance of Being Earnest 1962Publication of Wilde’s Collected Letters including first fully correct version of De Profundis