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Complete Works of Oscar Wilde

Complete Works of Oscar Wilde

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  • Create Date：2021-08-27 09:52:40
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  • Author：Oscar Wilde
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Summary

The Collins Complete Works of Oscar Wilde is the only truly complete and authoritative single-volume edition of Oscar Wilde’s works， and is available in both hardback and this paperback edition。


Continuously in print since 1948， the Collins Complete Works of Oscar Wilde has long been recognised as the most comprehensive and authoritative single-volume collection of Wilde’s texts available， containing his only novel， The Portrait of Dorian Gray， as well as his plays， stories， poems， essays and letters， all in their most authoritative texts。


Illustrated with many fascinating photographs， the book includes introductions to each section by Merlin Holland （Oscar’s grandson）， Owen Dudley Edwards， Declan Kiberd and Terence Brown。


Also included is a comprehensive bibliography of works by and about Oscar Wilde， and a chronological table of his life and work。

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Reviews

Frank ，

Wilde's fairy tales are unexpectedly good。 Read it as a schoolboy （13-14） and was impressed。 Wilde's fairy tales are unexpectedly good。 Read it as a schoolboy （13-14） and was impressed。 。。。more

Hertha ，

Just loved it！

Tayla ，

I look forward to more works by Oscar Wilde。

Danna ，

If you like fiction books， this ones for you。

Mary ，

Marked as read， but I haven't read the whole book， just selected stories。 Return to it often。 Only problem - it's to heavy to read in bed！ Marked as read， but I haven't read the whole book， just selected stories。 Return to it often。 Only problem - it's to heavy to read in bed！ 。。。more

Vonda ，

I love the characters！ This is a great look into what could be。

Eldora ，

The concept is really cool and it was very easy to read。

Emma ，

gay

Lily Witton ，

Peerless。 A beautiful soul。 A man of legend laid bare。

Mike Beech ，

Wilde was one of the premier writers of the nineteenth century。 He was the Lennon-McCartney of his day and as such， without peers。 A pity the English establishment robbed him of his liberty， health and desire to write。。。 Being an Oxbridge educated man I soundly apologise to Wilde， for the crass stupidity of the English snobbery and class system。。。 This man is a genius and was treated like a leper。 Shame on us！！！Mike G。 Beech27 2 2021

lemon peel ，

I FINALLY DID IT！！！on the whole i loved the experience of being able to read all of Wilde's works。I loved the majority o his works， but some i just couldn't't get into。。。 i probably wasn't smart enough lmaoso yeah， took a while but i'm very glad i did this！ I FINALLY DID IT！！！on the whole i loved the experience of being able to read all of Wilde's works。I loved the majority o his works， but some i just couldn't't get into。。。 i probably wasn't smart enough lmaoso yeah， took a while but i'm very glad i did this！ 。。。more

Br。 Thanasi （Thomas） Stama ，

I grazed thru this complete works visiting several stories and plays。

Laura ，

So this took a while。 I started way back when and went quickly through the stories and plays。 I was in the poems when Covid hit， and I didn’t pick it up again for several months。 I started reading again in the fall of 2020， and I must say that some of the essays went faster than others。 I skipped the poetry。 I do not currently have the patience for poetry。But I basically finished the complete works of Oscar Wilde， and I love him。 He is hilarious， brilliant， sly， penetrating and someone I wish I So this took a while。 I started way back when and went quickly through the stories and plays。 I was in the poems when Covid hit， and I didn’t pick it up again for several months。 I started reading again in the fall of 2020， and I must say that some of the essays went faster than others。 I skipped the poetry。 I do not currently have the patience for poetry。But I basically finished the complete works of Oscar Wilde， and I love him。 He is hilarious， brilliant， sly， penetrating and someone I wish I could meet。 One of the most enjoyable parts was finding all of the things that have been alluded to in other works that I’ve read and seen。 He was the progenitor of so much。If you don’t understand any of these notes， know that I don’t understand some of them now either :）Picture of Dorian Gray“Thin-lippped wisdom spoke at her from the worn chair， hinted at prudence， quoted from that book of cowardice whose author apes the name of common sense。”The introduction was interesting to read - I didn’t know that there was a debate about whether Oscar Wilde produced legitimate literature。Perfumes， jewels and tapestries， ecclesiastical vestments - the church doors of Hunchback， the oak tree of Les Mis， the shiplore of Moby Dick。 What is it with the lit of the time？ Did readers insist upon at least one treatise per novel？Other than showing that he’s a dilettante and free with his trust fund and the passage of time， what purpose served？ Ok， when I type it out， that seems like a lot of purpose“Unconsciously [Dorian Gray] defines for me the lines of a fresh school， a school that is to have in it all the passion of the romantic spirit， all the perfection of the spirit that ins Greek。 The harmony of soul and body - how much that is！ We in our madness have separated the two， and have invented a realism that is vulgar， an ideality that is void。”Strange echos of the yoga book I just read - making just the same point about the harmony of soul and body。 And again， 30 pages later:“Soul and body， body and soul - how mysterious they were！ There was animalism in the soul， and the body had moments of spirituality。 There senses could refine， and the intellect could degrade。 Who could say where the fleshly impulse ceased， or the physical impulse began？ How shallow were the arbitrary definitions of ordinary psychologists！ And yet how difficult to decide between the claims of the various schools！ Was the soul a shadow seated in the house of sin？ Or was the body really in the soul， as Giordano Bruno thought？ The separation of spirit from matter was a mystery， and the union of spirit with matter was a mystery also？”“He began to wonder whether we could ever make psychology so absolute a science that each little spring of life would be revealed to us。 As it was， we always misunderstood ourselves， and rarely understood others。”Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime“The world is a stage， but the play is badly cast。” Hamlets are playing jesters; Guildensterns are playing Hamlet。Wedding preparations can be such a hassle The Canterville GhostHylo-idealism is the philosophical position that reality exists by virtue of our belief in it。Oh， Americans The Fisherman and His SoulI was hoping the internet would have something to say about the long， flowery， seemingly full of hidden meaning passages where the Soul attempts to tempt the Fisherman。 If anybody can point me in the right direction， please leave a comment。 （To clarify， every analysis mentions the passages - I am looking for one that addresses the details。）The Star ChildI liked this one。 But whoa that last paragraph。 Who spit in Wilde’s bean curd that day？ The Remarkable RocketConversation amongst fireworks “‘The world is certainly very beautiful，’ cried a little Squib。 ‘Just look at those yellow tulips。 Why！ If they were real crackers they could not be lovelier。 I am very glad I have traveled。 Travel improves the mind wonderfully， and does away with all one’s prejudices。’”“She was one of those people who think that， if you say the same thing over and over a great many times， it becomes true in the end。”The Portrait of Mr WHI do believe LM Montgomery read Wilde。 I am seeing several homages。 The most recent being the question of whether ‘‘tis better to be good or good-looking。”This is a story for people who have at least a passing familiarity with the sonnets of Shakespeare。 Alas， I do not。I thought he didn’t want people to know he was gay。Unrelatedly“Indeed， if sex be an element in artistic creation， it might be rather urged that the delightful combination of wit and romance which characterizes so many of Shakespeare’s heroines was at least occasioned if it was not actually caused by the fact that the players of these parts were lads and young men， whose passionate purity， quick mobile fancy， and healthy freedom from sentimentality can hardly fail to have suggested a new and delightful type of girlhood or of womanhood。”Yeah， why do we even have girls。 grrrr。Also， points to me for wading through a work full of book-length sentences。“We need not regret [the hissing， hooting， and pippin-pelting of some of the first female actresses at Blackfriars] in any way。 The essentially male culture of the English Renaissance found its filles and most perfect expression by its own method， and in its own manner。”Grrrrrrr。 Seriously， I will bite him。Wow， Shakespeare is f-ing harsh to his lady love:“My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;Coral is far more red than her lips’ red:If snow be white， why then her breasts are dun;If hairs be wires， black wires grow on her head。”I’d slap his face。 Take note， my love。But there are a million reasons to forgive Shakespeare， when he writes lines like:“For I have sworn thee fair， and thought thee bright，Who art as black as hell， as dark as night。”That’s pretty much as perfect as two lines can be。“It seemed to me that I was not merely restoring Cyril Graham to his proper place in literary history， but rescuing the honour of Shakespeare himself from the tedious memory of a commonplace intrigue。 I put into the letter all my enthusiasm。 I put into the letter all my faith。”“No sooner， in fact， had I sent it off than a curious reaction came over me。 It seemed to me that I had given away my capacity for belief in the Willie Hughes theory of the Sonnets， that something had gone out of me， as it were， and that I was perfectly indifferent to the whole subject。 What was it that had happened？ It is difficult to say。 Perhaps， by finding perfect expression for a passion， I had exhausted the passion itself。 [Me - The good and the bad thing about writing things out。] Emotional forces， like the forces of physical life， have their positive limitations。 Perhaps the mere effort to convert anyone to a theory involves some form of renunciation of the power of credence。 Influence is simply a transference of personality， a mode of giving away what is most precious to one’s self， and its exercise produces a sense， and， it may be， a reality of loss。 Every disciple takes away something from his master。”Writing something down definitely decreases my passion， frequently in a positive way （making me less angry， hurt or frustrated）。 Interesting thought that influence involves an actual transference of personality。 I do feel like I give something up when talking people into things。 But that may just be the exhaustion of human interaction。The Importance of Being Earnest“I ask merely for information。” Cheaper by dozen 。 Fun to find references。 Flowers for Algernon？Found in a handbag in the cloak room of Victoria station - Hitchhikers GuideFelt I must be wrong in drawing the conclusion that he was marrying his first cousin。 Looked it up online to confirm。 Forgot it was daisies back then。Really funnyLady Windermere’s FanSo many things people have taken from Wilde。 His oft quoted “a cynic is a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing” is in this one， but around every corner is a reference。 I’m starting to question whether authors do anything but steal from Wilde。Was he the first in literature to state that men and women could not be friends？A Woman of No ImportanceMrs。 Allonby rings such a bell - where have I heard of her before？He must really like， having used in it two plays“All women become like their mothers。 That is their tragedy。 No man does。 That is his。”Illingsworth does， in fact， make me ill。An Ideal Husband“Do you think that what I did nearly eighteen years ago should be brought up against me now？ Do you think it fair that a man’s whole career should be ruined for a fault done in one’s boyhood almost？ Is it fair that the folly， the sin of one’s youth， if men choose to call it a sin， should wreck a life like mine， should place me in the pillory， should shatter all that I have worked for， all that I have built up？”Well that’s prescient。“A man’s life is of more value than a woman’s。 It has larger issues， wider scope， greater ambitions。 A woman’s life revolves in curves of emotions。 It is upon lines of intellect that a man’s life progresses。 Don’t make any terrible mistake， Lady Chiltern。 A woman who can keep a man’s love， and love him in return， has done all the world wants of women， or should want of them。” - Lord Goring， “showing the philosopher that underlies the dandy。”Unforgivable。The Duchess of PaduaP。 620 “I do beseech your grace。。。”Unbelievable that it is just as true today as it was then。Essays， etc。His obsession with the teacups in Chinatown （SF） vs。 the thicker teacups of his expensive hotel is concerning。 （The House Beautiful， The Decorative Arts， Personal Impressions of America。。。 just so far！）Why aren’t book reviews as good as “A Ride Through Morocco” anymore？ I would read the shit out of that book based on the review。A lot of these are meh for me - part of the problem is that it’s hard for newspaper articles to all age well for 120 years。De Profundis “From the Depths” “Letter: In Prison and in Chains”So， don’t piss off a legendary writer if you don’t want to be eviscerated in proseBut I question， has Wilde read his own works？ His boyfriend seems to behave as his characters do （ones written before their relationship） 。 What does he expect？“When you are not on your pedestal you are not interesting。 The next time you are ill I will go away at once。“ “For you to write thus to me， when the very illness and fever from which I was suffering I had caught from tending you， was of course revolting in it’s coarseness and crudity; but for any human being in the whole world to write thus to another would be a sin for which there is no pardon， were there any sin for which there is none。”“Of seed-time or harvest， of the reapers bending over the corn， or the grape-gatherers threading through the vines， of the grass in the orchard made white with broken blossoms， or strewn with fallen fruit， we know nothing， and can know nothing。 For us there is only one season， the season of Sorrow。” How do you fucking write like that？And with that he makes a turn from plain-spoken grievance to forgiveness with metaphor。 By p。 1020 full on。 I wonder if this letter sets a record for longest letter。“And exactly as in Art one is only concerned with what a particular thing is at a particular moment to oneself， so it is also in the ethical evolution of one’s character。 I have got to make everything that has happened to me good for me。““Who can calculate the orbit of his own soul？“ People whose desire is solely for self-realization never know where they are going。”“To have become a deeper man is the privilege of those who have suffered。” Covid is not prison， but it ain’t a east Hampton clambake either， and I’m grateful to have learned the things I’ve learned The Decay of LyingPlus ça change， plus c’est la même chose“I should have thought that our politicians kept up that habit。” “I assure you that they do not。 They never rise be on the level of misrepresentation， and actually condescend to prove， to discuss， to argue。 How different from the temper of the true liar， with his frank， fearless statements， his superb irresponsibility， his healthy， natural distain of proof of any kind！”Wow。“Society sooner or later must return to its lost leader， the cultured and fascinating liar。”Done。Is my internal cry of “you’re not doing it right！” The wrong approach？ Am I wrong to want to save and improve lives？ It’s the cat dilemma。。。 a long and boring life indoors， or a short， dashing， satisfying life outside。My bond with Oscar Wilde is that we find the same types of people tedious。Of course， this is really a treatise on lying it art， not life。 And Wilde is a genius about it， as usual。 Although if， as his character conjectures， life does in fact imitate art， perhaps we can blame the state of the world on him。Pen， pencil， and poisonMonumentally boring until the poison partThe permanence of personality as a metaphysical problem predates GGP Grey by at least this much。“We cannot re-write the whole of history for the purpose of gratifying our moral sense of what should be。“ There is nothing new in the world。The Critic as ArtistDNF - dreckPart two was a bit better The Soul of Man Under Socialism“It has debarred one part of the community from being individual by starving them。 It has debarred the other part of the community from being individual by putting them on the wrong road， and encumbering them。”Exactly why you need a middle class。 We have the best of both worlds。 No starvation， and only as much encumbrance as we can afford。 Credit， of course， a problem。Individual control over one’s destiny vs。 the influence of outside factors。 Forrest’s feather， Cimba’s hair。 How much are we ourselves， how much is what is done to us？ And， even more unknowably， how much is this true of others？ Do they even exist？Heinlein: “It is my belief that history is a story of the action of individuals， acting according to their characters in the environments in which they find themselves。 A change either in character or in environment would change the resulting action。” - Professor Cathcart， For Us the LivingWhat would a world be like in which Russia had remained an ally？The Rise of Historical CriticismIf you are looking for a deep deep dive into Greek historical writings from the perspective of one at the fin de siècle， this is for you。 I skimmed。 。。。more

Maria ，

O fantasma de Cartesville é uma história que ouvi cerca de vinte anos atrás， quando comprei o livro。 Só agora eu li。 Muito fácil de gostar do fantasma e do norte-americano， novo dono da casa。 O narrador fala sobre os sustos dos fantasmas como sendo um trabalho que ele deseja se destacar。 E， pelos olhos da filha， podemos ver a "humanidade" no espectro。 Porém， no final， fica no ar algo sobre vida e morte que eu não entendi。Em "Um marido ideal"， gostei de como o maneirismo é uma espécie de moda par O fantasma de Cartesville é uma história que ouvi cerca de vinte anos atrás， quando comprei o livro。 Só agora eu li。 Muito fácil de gostar do fantasma e do norte-americano， novo dono da casa。 O narrador fala sobre os sustos dos fantasmas como sendo um trabalho que ele deseja se destacar。 E， pelos olhos da filha， podemos ver a "humanidade" no espectro。 Porém， no final， fica no ar algo sobre vida e morte que eu não entendi。Em "Um marido ideal"， gostei de como o maneirismo é uma espécie de moda para a burguesia。 Nunca li um autor que pudesse descrever um sentimento ou ideia da época como a nova moda da temporada。 De qualquer forma， descobri que Lady Chatterley é o alter ego de Oscar Wilde。 Ela é， de longe， a personagem mais interessante。 E era perturbador， para mim， que ela fosse rejeitada e reprovada por uma sociedade moralista。 Assim como Oscar Wilde。A história do homem que lê o destino na palma das mãos tem ritmo rápido， mas dá para acompanhar。 Muito divertido， é preciso ler até o fim para entender o começo。Salomé， li as primeiras páginas。 É sobre uma história bíblica。 Tive dificuldade em imaginar a cena， então deixei de lado。 Mas quero tentar mais uma vez。 O retrato de Dorian Gray。 Li há vinte anos。 E ainda tenho imagens vívidas da história em minha mente。 Eu não vou ler novamente。 Mas， pelo que me lembro， gostei muito。*The ghost of Cartersville is a tale I heard about twenty years ago， when I got the book。 Only now I read it。 Very easy to like the phantom， and the north-American new house owner。 The narrator tells about the ghost frights as being a "job" he wants to excel。 And， through the young daughter's eyes， we can see the "humanity" in the spectrum。 In "An ideal husband" I liked how mannerism are a kind of fashion for the bourgeoise。 I never read an author before who could describe a feeling or an idea of the time as a season collection。 Anyway， I found the Lady Chatterley is Oscar Wilde alter-ego。 She is， by far， the most lively character。 And it was upsetting， for me， that she was outcaste and disapproved by a moralistic society。 Like Oscar Wilde。 The story about the man who reads the destiny in the palm of the hands moves fast， but it is possible to follow。 Very entertaining， is necessary to read until the end to understand the beginning。 Salome， I read the firsts pages。 It is about a biblical story。 I had a hard time picturing the scene， so I dropped it。 Still， I want to make an effort， and try it again。 The picture of Dorian Gray。 I read it twenty years ago。 And I still have vivid images from the story in my mind。 Won't read again， but I really liked it from what I remember。 。。。more

Bobby Daugherty ，

A collection of all of his published work as well as some personal letters。 He was a great mind and writer and his wit is not used sparingly。

Orma ，

Solo per "Il ritratto di Dorian Gray" Solo per "Il ritratto di Dorian Gray" 。。。more

Natasha Charles ，

Does this need an introuduction？ These brilliant plays from the wordster geneous that is Oscar Wild。 The importance of being Earnest is still my favorate and Dorian grey my least but there is no denying that Oscar Wilde is surely one to revisit over and over again。

Lilly ，

Maybe my favorite author

Abner Trejos ，

Sencillamente una delicia。

Esteban ，

entretenido

itsdanixx ，

Before starting this collection I had actually never read anything by Oscar Wilde - I have now read everything by Oscar Wilde， and can officially say I am a massive fan！ His writing is incredibly clever and witty， but also riveting， humorous and beautiful。 My favourites would be The Importance of Being Earnest， The Picture of Dorian Gray， The Happy Prince & Other Tales， The Ballad of Reading Gaol， and De Profundis。 The works included - and my general opinion of them - are as follows: PLAYS:V Before starting this collection I had actually never read anything by Oscar Wilde - I have now read everything by Oscar Wilde， and can officially say I am a massive fan！ His writing is incredibly clever and witty， but also riveting， humorous and beautiful。 My favourites would be The Importance of Being Earnest， The Picture of Dorian Gray， The Happy Prince & Other Tales， The Ballad of Reading Gaol， and De Profundis。 The works included - and my general opinion of them - are as follows: PLAYS:Vera， or The Nihilists - 3 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️The Duchess of Padua - 2 Stars ⭐️⭐️Lady Windermere’s Fan - 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️A Woman of No Importance - 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️An Ideal Husband - 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️The Importance of Being Earnest - 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Salomé - 3 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️La Saint Courtisane - 3 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️A Florentine Tragedy - 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ NOVEL:The Picture of Dorian Gray - 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ STORIES & FAIRY-TALES:The Happy Prince and Other Tales - 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- The Happy Prince - 5 Stars- The Nightingale and the Rose - 5 Stars - The Selfish Giant - 4 Stars - The Devoted Friend - 5 Stars - The Remarkable Rocket - 5 Stars Lord Arthur Saville’s Crime and Other Stories - 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- Lord Arthur Saville’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 A House of Pomegranates - 2 Stars ⭐️⭐️- The Young King - 2 Stars - The Birthday of the Infanta - 2 Stars - The Fisherman and His Soul - 3 Stars - The Star-Child - 3 Stars POEMS:The Complete Poems - 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️The Ballad of Reading Gaol （special mention） - 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ESSAYS AND LETTERS:De Profundis - 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️And in the spirit of complete honesty， I actually didn’t read the other essays included in the collection - Intentions and The Soul of Man Under Socialism - as I knew they wouldn’t interest me， and so they have not affected my rating。 。。。more

ella ，

Last summer， I bought this 1，114 page book from a used bookstore in Gallway， Ireland for €6 （what a steal！）。 It was the second Oscar Wilde book I had bought that trip （along with an Oscar Wilde tea towel and calendar）。 Packing light is stupid anyways。And， of course， now， during quarantine， is the perfect time to read it。I wonder what Oscar Wilde would be doing during the pandemic。 Okay I digress。Now that I’m done it feels surreal （1，000 amazing pages oh my god）。 But this book was great because I Last summer， I bought this 1，114 page book from a used bookstore in Gallway， Ireland for €6 （what a steal！）。 It was the second Oscar Wilde book I had bought that trip （along with an Oscar Wilde tea towel and calendar）。 Packing light is stupid anyways。And， of course， now， during quarantine， is the perfect time to read it。I wonder what Oscar Wilde would be doing during the pandemic。 Okay I digress。Now that I’m done it feels surreal （1，000 amazing pages oh my god）。 But this book was great because I had had no idea about some of his shorter stories and poems and plays and found new favorites！ Here is a list of Oscar’s best， most well-known works:- The Picture of Dorian Gray - The Importance of Being Earnest- Lady Windermere’s Fan- A Woman of No Importance- An Idea Husband- The Ballad of Reading Goal- De ProfundisHere’s a list of other works that I really liked:- The Canterville Ghost- Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime- The Duchess of Padua- The Happy Prince- The poems Requiescat， At Verona， and Silentium Amoris - The Portrait of Mr。 W。 H。 I’d highly recommend Oscar Wilde。 I’m not even going to try to explain how much and why I love his work because as neither Critic nor Artist， I cannot do it justice。 Anyways， thank you Oscar， for all of the 1，114 pages of published writing I’ve read in the past 5 weeks。 I loved it。 。。。more

Brendan Coke ，

Secondary Comprehensive Mediation。 3***Stars。

Susana Damianovich ，

GreatWilde is the great philosopher that says it all of human behaviour and feelings。 Reminds me of Jorge Luis Borges。

Dianne Durante ，

Reading this in bits and pieces。

Doreen Fleming ，

My husband bought me this set in the 70s。 While I love all of Wilde’s stories， I was entranced， and touched， by his fairy tales。

An ，

The picture of dorian gray 3/5The importance of being earnest 4/5

Sheryl Sato ，

A fantastic collection。 Wry and direct humour were my favourite aspects of this anthology。

Pia Sophia ，

Let me start by saying that I absolutely adore Oscar Wilde and I adored him ever since I read his famous The Picture of Dorian Gray at age 17。 I was most thrilled to stumble upon this beautiful collection of his work， and when the girl I got it from wanted to trade it for a pack of cookies I was beyond excited。 This must be faith。 Or she must have been very hungry。 The introduction of this collection almost made me tear up。 Oscar Wilde was loved beyond words， and even now that light shines throu Let me start by saying that I absolutely adore Oscar Wilde and I adored him ever since I read his famous The Picture of Dorian Gray at age 17。 I was most thrilled to stumble upon this beautiful collection of his work， and when the girl I got it from wanted to trade it for a pack of cookies I was beyond excited。 This must be faith。 Or she must have been very hungry。 The introduction of this collection almost made me tear up。 Oscar Wilde was loved beyond words， and even now that light shines through。 I also feel I should be referring to Oscar Wilde as Oscar。 He feels like a friend I never met in real life。Re-reading The Picture of Dorian Gray made me appreciate the story even more。 For Gray is a troubled soul， and the only way he feels he has any control over his life is to measure good and bad through beauty。 Because what else is there， when the only joy you have is a pretty face？ When terrible things happen to him， it seems that something inside him changes。 When even beautiful things cease to stay in his life， the badness of sin is merely subjective。 The tragic， the beauty。。。 This book is my favorite ever for a reason。 Oscar is a marvellous writer。 His short stories are almost like a work of poetry， entangled in a beautiful web of humor and wisdom。 My ultimate favorite stories by him are Lord Arthur Savile's Crime， The Canterville Ghost， The Nightingale and the Rose （I genuinely cried the first time I read it）， The Happy Prince， The Selfish Giant， The Young King and The Fisherman and his Soul。 Oscar's short stories are teeny tiny fairy tales and I love them for it。 Some of these stories I read before， but I can genuinely say they do not get boring。 I am so going to read them to my future children。I never really read plays before I read Oscar's in this complete collection。 I thought plays were boring and I never really understood why people enjoyed reading （or writing） them。 Until I started with The Importance of Being Ernest。 This was so funny！ What I really liked about reading this play was that I couldn't follow their thoughts， as it obviously wasn't written like that， but that I could understand and envision an entire story by reading mostly dialogue！ Well done， Oscar。I must say that， as I read on and finished all of his plays in a couple of days， I felt it became a little repetitive。 Nothing too major， and the plots being nice and all （and still funny！）， but I did sense a theme and style once I finished them all。 An exception to this were Salomé and La Sainte Courtisane。 These were surprisingly good ones， refreshing and dramatic。 As for Oscar's poems， I must say I'm not the biggest fan。 And it saddens me。 I mean， the poems aren't bad at all， but they just didn't make me laugh， cry， sit in anger。。。 I really did like a few of them， and definitely don't regret reading the rest of 'em， but I feel Oscar's poetic side just shows way better in his stories （I mean， The Nightingale and the Rose is， for example， such a poetic and deep story in itself） and his plays （Salomé！） that the poems he did write didn't feel as special as they might have。。。 The poems I did like best were Requiescat， La Bella Donna Della Mia Mente， The Little Ship， Bittersweet Love， Le Jardin Des Tuileries， Fantaisies Décoratives， Under the Balcony， Remorse and The Disciple （poem in prose）。 I felt like Oscar's poems in prose were very sad and they might have been written while Oscar was contemplating his faith。 I sometimes had the idea that he approached his faith positively， and sometimes negatively， a little depressed even， maybe。 It made me sad， which I guess is also a good thing for it means his work sparks emotion， and that's obviously what it's meant to do。。。Then， last but not least， the tastiest leftovers a child leaves on its plate for last， as Merlin Holland lovingly stated in the introduction to Oscars essays， selected journalism， lectures and letters。 And when I began with reading The House Beautiful I immediately felt that was true。 What a funny， amazing and smart piece that was！ I scribbled more notes and comments and highlighted pieces in that first piece than I did in the upcoming ones。 As good as the first one was， as little did the following ones did for me。 I understand that a review of a 19th century book on marriage， or a play is historically important and it sure does show Oscars well-developed， kind and clever nature。 But it just didn't hold my interest as much as it would if I read it a whole lot of decades ago。 Same goes for the numerous lectures on Greek history。 It's just not where my interest lays， although I can surely see that it's intelligent and well-written。 And you know， that makes me a little sad。 Because I see that it's good and I want to like it， but here's where that whole different-century gap comes into place。 Bummer （I must say that the essay on Socialism， however， was very interesting。 It felt relevant to this day and age， which made me really like it）。 And I saved the best， if that's what we're going to call it， for last。 De Profundis。 I don't think I have ever felt more sympathy and grief for a writer before reading this letter。 An 80-page cry for help， it almost felt like。 I related to Oscar on some parts which made me even sadder。 And where I didn't relate to him （I mean， no， I wasn't thrown into prison by my blood sucking terrible friend） I felt I wanted to shake him up， and give him a strong hug for everything he had to endure。 When Oscar， at the end of his letter， writes he wishes to hear from his "friend" again my heart almost sank right into my shoes。 Poor Oscar。 This cycle will not end as long as you let him take advantage of your heart so pure。。。 I can't believe I finished the whole Collected Works in only this short a period of time。 I loved a lot of it， didn't feel much at some of it， but appreciate and respect every tiny word of it。 I miss Oscar already。 。。。more

Melissa Haddad ，

Captivating。 Brilliantly written， I could picture myself in the story。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Complete Works of Oscar Wilde

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Complete Works of Oscar Wilde&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Complete Works of Oscar Wilde&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0