| 1891 | Preface to 'Dorian Gray' |
| p.5 | 7274 | Books are only well or badly written, not moral or immoral | |
| Full Idea: There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all. | |||
| From: Oscar Wilde (Preface to 'Dorian Gray' [1891]) | |||
| A reaction: This is simply false. Novels that are viciously (or subtly) racist, sexist, homophobic, or egotistical can obviously be immoral. I could write a nasty story about Oscar Wilde. It might, though, be very well written. If life is moral, so are novels. |
| p.5 | 7275 | Having ethical sympathies is a bad mannerism of style in an artist | |
| Full Idea: No artist has ethical sympathies. An ethical sympathy in an artist is an unpardonable mannerism of style. | |||
| From: Oscar Wilde (Preface to 'Dorian Gray' [1891]) | |||
| A reaction: This has a Nietzschean suggestion that the artist is 'beyond good and evil', and operates on some higher level of values, which in Wilde's case seem to be purely aesthetic. You can't justify a callous murder by executing it beautifully. |
| p.6 | 7276 | All art is quite useless | |
| Full Idea: All art is quite useless. | |||
| From: Oscar Wilde (Preface to 'Dorian Gray' [1891]) | |||
| A reaction: Echoes Kant's thought that art is 'purposive without purpose'. Although I find Wilde's claims that morality has nothing to do with art to be naïve, I find this remark sympathetic. Art may play with moral feelings, but is unlikely to affect actions. |