18 h 28 minAudiobook4 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if judging a book becomes an art as sharp and surprising as the book itself?
In Reviews, Oscar Wilde turns his eye on poems, histories, novels and essays. These book notices and short critical pieces bring you close to a writer at work for magazines and newspapers, before his plays make his name. Each piece offers a fresh encounter, not another step in one long argument.
Wilde asks what makes a book worth reading—and refuses to confuse beauty with a moral lesson. For him, the critic does more than mark a work right or wrong. Criticism becomes a creative response of its own, alive with elegant sentences, sharp opinions and wit that can be unfair.
What you’ll discover
- A writer at work Meet Wilde as a working reviewer, writing quickly for readers beyond a narrow literary circle.
- Criticism as an art Explore his belief that a critic can create something through a personal response.
- Beauty before moral lessons Consider why Wilde judges a book as art rather than as a sermon.
- Wit with a sting Enjoy elegant remarks that can dismiss a weak book in a single line.
- A varied literary landscape Move among poetry, history, fiction and essays, watching Wilde adapt his judgment to each.
Who will love it
For readers who enjoy sharp opinions, elegant sentences and the Victorian literary scene, and fans of Wilde's plays and essays. These reviews explore art, beauty and the creative work of criticism.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A critic learns his trade by reviewing
- Criticism can itself be an art
- Beauty matters more than moral lessons
- Wit is his method and his lasting appeal
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Reviews
by Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde judges poems, histories and novels with quick wit, arguing for beauty and craft over moral instruction.
Challenging10–20 hours to read25 languages
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In short
Reviews gathers the book notices and short critical pieces that Oscar Wilde wrote for magazines and newspapers in the years before his plays made him a household name. Most of them appeared in the 1880s and early 1890s, when Wilde wrote for the Pall Mall Gazette and edited the magazine Woman's World.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A critic learns his trade by reviewing
Before he wrote The Picture of Dorian Gray or his comedies, Wilde earned money and a name as a reviewer. Editors sent him books, and he wrote on them quickly and for a general audience. The subjects were varied. He wrote on poetry, on history, on translations and on essays, and he did not pretend to specialise in one field.
That range matters. It shows a writer reading widely and forming tastes in public, one short article at a time. The pieces were meant to be read over breakfast, so they are brisk and easy to follow.
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What is Oscar Wilde's Reviews about?
It is a collection of book reviews and short critical pieces Wilde wrote for periodicals in the 1880s and early 1890s. They cover poetry, history, essays and more, and show his views on art and style.
When were Wilde's reviews written and collected?
Wilde wrote them for magazines and newspapers in the years before his major plays, mainly in the 1880s and early 1890s. They were gathered into a volume after his death, edited by Robert Ross.
Is Wilde's Reviews hard to read?
No. The pieces are short, witty and written for a general audience. Some refer to Victorian books and writers you may not know, but the style is clear and the opinions are easy to follow.
The author
Oscar Wilde
1854–1900 · Irish playwright and poet
Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) was an Irish poet, playwright, and novelist born in Dublin. He lived in London and later in France, where he died in Paris. He published The Picture of Dorian Gray in 1890. His play The Importance of Being Earnest was first performed in 1895.
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