Intentions - Oscar Wilde

Summary
'Intentions' is a collection of four essays by Oscar Wilde, first published in 1891. It serves as a manifesto for Aestheticism, articulating Wilde's core philosophies on art, criticism, and life. The essays challenge conventional notions of truth, morality, and artistic purpose. Wilde argues that art should not imitate life but rather life should imitate art, that lying is an art form, and that the critic is an artist of a higher order than the creator. He provocatively asserts the supremacy of artifice over nature, advocating for an aesthetic detached from moral or didactic considerations, emphasizing beauty and style above all else.

Book Sections

Section: The Critic as Artist
This essay, presented as a dialogue between Ernest and Gilbert, explores the role of art criticism. Gilbert argues that criticism is a higher, more creative art form than creation itself. He posits that the critic is not merely an interpreter but an artist who re-creates and expands upon the original work, enriching it with new meanings and perspectives. True criticism, according to Gilbert, is objective yet intensely personal, and it requires more culture, intellectual capacity, and imaginative sympathy than the act of creation. The essay concludes that life itself is the finest art, and the critic, by interpreting life through an aesthetic lens, is the supreme artist.

Character/Concept	Characteristics	Motivations
Gilbert	Intellectual, articulate, aesthetic, provocative, represents Wilde's voice	To redefine and elevate the role of criticism as an independent art form, to assert the critic's superiority over the creator.
Ernest	Inquisitive, more traditional in his views, initially skeptical	To understand the nature of art and criticism, to challenge Gilbert's radical ideas and arrive at a new understanding.
The Critic	Impartial, intellectual, imaginative, sympathetic, cultured, refined	To interpret, re-create, and aestheticize art and life, thereby enhancing beauty and meaning.
Art	Independent, self-sufficient, without moral purpose, primarily concerned with beauty	To exist for its own sake, to be interpreted and appreciated rather than to imitate life or serve a didactic function.

Section: Pen, Pencil and Poison
This essay is a biographical sketch of Thomas Griffiths Wainewright, a real-life Victorian art critic, painter, poet, forger, and suspected poisoner. Wilde portrays Wainewright not as a moral monster, but as a fascinating figure who embodied the aesthetic ideal even in his criminality. Wilde is less interested in Wainewright's crimes than in his artistic sensibility and the idea that an aesthetic temperament can coexist with, or even be expressed through, immoral actions. The essay provocatively suggests that Wainewright's criminal acts were merely another form of artistic expression, highlighting Wilde's belief in "art for art's sake" and the separation of aesthetic value from moral judgment.

Character/Concept	Characteristics	Motivations
Thomas Griffiths Wainewright	Art critic, painter, forger, suspected poisoner, dandy, aesthetically refined	To live an artistic and extravagant life, to achieve beauty and sensation through any means, including crime.
The Aesthetic Criminal	One who commits crimes with a sense of style and artistic flair	To blur the lines between art and life, beauty and immorality, in pursuit of self-expression and sensation.

Section: The Decay of Lying
Presented as a dialogue between Cyril and Vivian, this essay argues that lying, far from being a vice, is a noble art form that has unfortunately fallen into disuse. Vivian claims that Nature imitates Art, not the other way around, and that without the imaginative lies of the artist, life would be dull and meaningless. He laments the modern obsession with realism, facts, and truth, which he believes has impoverished both art and life. The essay advocates for the importance of imagination, fancy, and the deliberate distortion of reality to create beauty and interest. It's a witty and paradoxical defense of artifice and the creative power of falsehood.

Character/Concept	Characteristics	Motivations
Vivian	Eloquent, paradoxical, represents Wilde's extreme aesthetic views	To champion the art of lying, to denounce realism in art and life, to advocate for imagination and artifice.
Cyril	The foil, asking probing questions, allowing Vivian to elaborate	To engage in intellectual discourse, to explore and challenge Vivian's provocative ideas.
Lying	An art, a necessary component of beauty and imagination, superior to facts	To create beauty, wonder, and interest in life and art, to escape the dullness of reality.
Nature	Unrefined, chaotic, imitative of Art, lacks aesthetic sensibility	To be perfected and reinterpreted by art and imagination, to serve as raw material for artistic creation.

Section: The Truth of Masks
This essay, originally published as "Shakespeare and Stage Costume," argues for the importance of historical accuracy and aesthetic detail in theatrical costume. Wilde criticizes the sloppiness and anachronisms common in contemporary stage productions, particularly of Shakespearean plays. He contends that careful attention to period costume and scenery enhances the artistic illusion and contributes to the overall beauty and integrity of a production. While seemingly a more practical essay, it subtly reinforces Wilde's broader aesthetic philosophy: that artifice and meticulous attention to detail are crucial for creating powerful and beautiful artistic experiences, and that even the "truth" in art is often a meticulously constructed illusion.

Character/Concept	Characteristics	Motivations
The Stage Designer/Director	Possesses an artistic eye, understands historical accuracy and aesthetic impact	To create a visually cohesive and beautiful theatrical experience, to enhance the dramatic illusion.
The Actor/Playwright	Benefits from a well-designed production, their work is elevated	To convey the artistic vision effectively, to be supported by appropriate visual context.
Historical Costume	Essential for aesthetic and dramatic truth, not just mere accuracy	To create a believable and beautiful world on stage, to evoke the correct mood and period, to serve art's illusion.

Genre
Literary Criticism, Essay Collection, Aestheticism, Philosophy.

Author Facts
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. He was a leading figure in the Aesthetic movement, which advocated "art for art's sake." His most famous works include the novel 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' and plays like 'Lady Windermere's Fan' and 'The Importance of Being Earnest'. Wilde was known for his wit, flamboyant style, and sharp social commentary. His career was tragically cut short by a scandal surrounding his homosexuality, which led to his imprisonment and subsequent exile.

Moral
The collection doesn't offer a traditional moral, but rather an aesthetic philosophy. Its central "moral" is that art has no moral purpose; its sole aim is beauty. It encourages readers to embrace imagination, artifice, and the subjective interpretation of beauty over the pursuit of objective truth or conventional morality. It challenges the reader to see life through an aesthetic lens, where style, wit, and beauty are paramount.

Curiosities

• Controversial Reception: Upon its publication, 'Intentions' was highly controversial due to its provocative ideas, particularly "The Decay of Lying," which openly championed artifice and untruth over naturalism and facts.
• Wilde's Voice: The dialogues within the essays, particularly "The Critic as Artist" and "The Decay of Lying," are essentially Wilde conversing with himself, presenting different facets of his own complex aesthetic theories. Gilbert and Vivian are often seen as direct mouthpieces for Wilde.
• Literary Influence: 'Intentions' became a foundational text for the Aesthetic movement and greatly influenced later literary criticism and modernism, emphasizing the autonomy of art.
• Self-Plagiarism (of a sort): Portions of these essays were previously published as articles or lectures, which Wilde revised and compiled for 'Intentions'. For instance, "The Decay of Lying" appeared earlier in 'The Nineteenth Century'.
• The Title: The title 'Intentions' is ironic, as the essays often argue against the notion of an artist's intention being the primary meaning or value of a work, emphasizing the critic's interpretation instead.