"The Soul of Man Under Socialism by Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde, better known as a genius of English literature, was also an avid advocate of 'socialism' of an 'individualistic or 'anarchist' variety. However Wilde's socialism, like his literary genius, was highly original. Wilde was neither a socialist nor an anarchist in the conventional sense, still less what has come today to be regarded as 'socialism' or 'anarchism'. Wilde was an aesthete, not an economist. Therefore, the socialism he expounded had as its purpose the elevation of the individual to new heights of creativity and culture, rather than as merely a change of ownership of the machinery of production from 'bourgeoisie' to 'proletariat'. The Marxists and most other socialists offer only a mirror image of capitalism. There is no intention of transcending the capitalist ethic but of merely taking it over in the name of the 'worker'. Wilde's socialism sought to get the individual off the economic treadmill, to provide him with the time to stop and appreciate the higher things in life. The aim of this freedom was to bestow the opportunities that would again see the flowering of cultural achievement and appreciation, not just among 'privileged' sectors of society, but among all who are capable of allowing their souls to soar above a merely produce-and-consume existence. The Soul of Man Under Socialism redefines the purpose of human life beyond the crass materialism of both capitalism and orthodox socialism. Given the ever-increasing hours all sectors of society are working, regardless of improvements in technology, Wilde's message of freedom from economic burdens is even more timely.
Wilde, Oscar: - Oscar Wilde (16 October 1854 - 30 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s. He is best remembered for his epigrams and plays, his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, and the circumstances of his criminal conviction for gross indecency, imprisonment, and early death at age 46. Wilde's parents were successful Anglo-Irish intellectuals in Dublin. Their son became fluent in French and German early in life. At university, Wilde read Greats; he proved himself to be an outstanding classicist, first at Trinity College Dublin, then at Oxford. He became known for his involvement in the rising philosophy of aestheticism, led by two of his tutors, Walter Pater and John Ruskin. After university, Wilde moved to London into fashionable cultural and social circles. As a spokesman for aestheticism, he tried his hand at various literary activities: he published a book of poems, lectured in the United States and Canada on the new English Renaissance in Art and interior decoration, and then returned to London where he worked prolifically as a journalist. Known for his biting wit, flamboyant dress and glittering conversational skill, Wilde became one of the best-known personalities of his day. At the turn of the 1890s, he refined his ideas about the supremacy of art in a series of dialogues and essays, and incorporated themes of decadence, duplicity, and beauty into what would be his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray(1890). The opportunity to construct aesthetic details precisely, and combine them with larger social themes, drew Wilde to write drama. He wrote Salome (1891) in French while in Paris but it was refused a licence for England due to an absolute prohibition on the portrayal of Biblical subjects on the English stage. Unperturbed, Wilde produced four society comedies in the early 1890s, which made him one of the most successful playwrights of late-Victorian London. At the height of his fame and success, while The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) was still being performed in London, Wilde had the Marquess of Queensberry prosecuted for criminal libel. The Marquess was the father of Wilde's lover, Lord Alfred Douglas. The libel trial unearthed evidence that caused Wilde to drop his charges and led to his own arrest and trial for gross indecency with men. After two more trials he was convicted and sentenced to two years' hard labour, the maximum penalty, and was jailed from 1895 to 1897. During his last year in prison, he wrote De Profundis (published posthumously in 1905), a long letter which discusses his spiritual journey through his trials, forming a dark counterpoint to his earlier philosophy of pleasure. On his release, he left immediately for France, never to return to Ireland or Britain. There he wrote his last work, The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898), a long poem commemorating the harsh rhythms of prison life. He died destitute in Paris at the age of 46.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780192817976 |
| ISBN 10 | 0192817973 |
| Title | "The Soul of Man Under Socialism |
| Author | Oscar Wilde |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| Year published | 1990-06-01 |
| Number of pages | 256 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |