Biography and works here
We find ourselves once again in an era that often values sarcasm and wit above sincerity. Oscar Wilde is perfect for such a time. Although you catch flashes of true feeling now and again, and there is always a current of morality running underneath his works, on the surface shines a cleverness that turns from playful to caustic then back again.
Wilde's wit can range from teasing,
"I am not young enough to know everything."
To cutting,
"Bigamy is having one wife too many. Monogamy is the same. "
To downright thoughtful.
"A man who does not think for himself does not think at all."
The man is now known mostly for his novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and his play "The Importance of Being Earnest". Those are great and you should read them if you haven't already, but if you need some lighter fair I'd recommend going with the play. His charming short story "The Canterville Ghost" is one of my favorites, and a lot of his poems are pretty good too.
Wilde also wrote some short stories for his sons that I go back and re-read from time to time. They are poetic fairy tales that I plan to share with my children once they exist and are old enough to appreciate them.
If there's one thing I want you guys to learn from this--
"Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught."
That's right. I guess I can't teach you to love Wilde's writing; you've got to feel it. So get out there and feel something!
On second thought, that might not have been what he meant.
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