he had nothing to declare but his genius!
Today was Oscar Wilde's birthday. He was born on 16 October 1854 (died 30 November 1900).
Wilde was one of the world's most talented writers. Even he thought so himself, and much of the world today agrees with him.
He went on an American lecture tour to drum up publicity for the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta Patience which caricatured 'aestheticism', the movement in which Wilde was a major player. When Wilde arrived in New York in January 1882 he responded to the usual customs question with "I have nothing to declare except my genius."
Too right!
Oscar Wilde was very very witty and his remarks are often quoted today, by intelligent people. Some good ones were:
- I choose my friends for their good looks, my acquaintances for their good characters, and my enemies for their intellects. A man cannot be too careful in the choice of his enemies.
- It is through Art, and through Art only, that we can realise our perfection.
- Most people die of a sort of creeping common sense, and discover when it is too late that the only things one never regrets are one's mistakes.
- I put all my genius into my life; I put only my talent into my works.
- It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious.
Some of his most brilliant works (in fact, all of it was brilliant) included:
- The Happy Prince
- The Importance of Being Earnest
- The Picture of Dorian Gray
- The Canterville Ghost
Links:
- Oscar Wilde - Free Library Online
- Oscar Wilde Essays and Stories from Arthur's Classic Novels
- Oscar Wilde - quotes from the Quotation Page
*As always, please check out Cooper and Camilla who always have interesting things to say.
........ooooooooOOOOOOOOoooooooo........
Again, I didn't get an afternoon nap with my human today! He went off this morning on some errand to do with light fittings and pumpkin.
When he came back he decided he'd do chores (he mentioned the house not having been cleaned for 2 weeks) - at least Kim and Aggie from How Clean is Your House? won't be showing up.
I hardly got any lap time today, but he did put on the sigur rós album ( ) for me and it was so relaxing, I promptly fell asleep!
sigur rós - CD album cover of ( )
He was cleaning the bathroom when it was around 5pm so I went in and yelled at him to feed me. This he did promptly. But it was raw wings, so I nibbled the wingtip and stopped. He went back to cleaning the bathroom. When he finished, I refused to eat any more wing, as I could smell lamb roasting in the oven. Thankfully he gave me cooked corn-fed chicken for dinner instead. I know how to get what I want.
Later Jimmy and Lily's humans Jackie and Brian came over for dinner of roast lamb and vegetables (potato, sweet potato, pumpkin) and blanched beans. I did not have any lamb for dinner! But I did get to sit on their laps tonight which was fun. They always talk to me, unlike some other humans.
keisercat@wildmail.com
Wilde was one of the world's most talented writers. Even he thought so himself, and much of the world today agrees with him.
He went on an American lecture tour to drum up publicity for the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta Patience which caricatured 'aestheticism', the movement in which Wilde was a major player. When Wilde arrived in New York in January 1882 he responded to the usual customs question with "I have nothing to declare except my genius."
Too right!
Oscar Wilde was very very witty and his remarks are often quoted today, by intelligent people. Some good ones were:
- I choose my friends for their good looks, my acquaintances for their good characters, and my enemies for their intellects. A man cannot be too careful in the choice of his enemies.
- It is through Art, and through Art only, that we can realise our perfection.
- Most people die of a sort of creeping common sense, and discover when it is too late that the only things one never regrets are one's mistakes.
- I put all my genius into my life; I put only my talent into my works.
- It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious.
Some of his most brilliant works (in fact, all of it was brilliant) included:
- The Happy Prince
- The Importance of Being Earnest
- The Picture of Dorian Gray
- The Canterville Ghost
Links:
- Oscar Wilde - Free Library Online
- Oscar Wilde Essays and Stories from Arthur's Classic Novels
- Oscar Wilde - quotes from the Quotation Page
*As always, please check out Cooper and Camilla who always have interesting things to say.
........ooooooooOOOOOOOOoooooooo........
Again, I didn't get an afternoon nap with my human today! He went off this morning on some errand to do with light fittings and pumpkin.
When he came back he decided he'd do chores (he mentioned the house not having been cleaned for 2 weeks) - at least Kim and Aggie from How Clean is Your House? won't be showing up.
I hardly got any lap time today, but he did put on the sigur rós album ( ) for me and it was so relaxing, I promptly fell asleep!
sigur rós - CD album cover of ( )
He was cleaning the bathroom when it was around 5pm so I went in and yelled at him to feed me. This he did promptly. But it was raw wings, so I nibbled the wingtip and stopped. He went back to cleaning the bathroom. When he finished, I refused to eat any more wing, as I could smell lamb roasting in the oven. Thankfully he gave me cooked corn-fed chicken for dinner instead. I know how to get what I want.
Later Jimmy and Lily's humans Jackie and Brian came over for dinner of roast lamb and vegetables (potato, sweet potato, pumpkin) and blanched beans. I did not have any lamb for dinner! But I did get to sit on their laps tonight which was fun. They always talk to me, unlike some other humans.
keisercat@wildmail.com
posted by Keiser at 22:04
2 Comments:
Hi Madeline - you mean he wasn't born in 1954! I've amended. This comment function is great. So much better than treats, which expire!
You have good taste in music dear Keiser.
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