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livelaughomo's review against another edition
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Confinement
Moderate: Alcoholism and Death of parent
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
moreau's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.75
This took me an atrociously long time to read it's actually crazy. I was reading like, a page a day because I just kept rereading the same lines because it's so funny. This is quite literally an antique breakup text, if anything, Oscar was too nice. Fuck Bosie. Hate him.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Confinement
Moderate: Alcoholism and Homophobia
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
eb00kie's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
The Hart-Davis '62 edition, 423-511 of The Complete Letters. Initially, this review owed its content to the 1913 Methuen & Co. edition, copyright-free and available on Gutenberg. It is also much altered and incomplete. Methuen's is more lyrical than the original, what can you do? In the absence of much critical ability, I try to get the accurate rendition of the author's words and attempt not to come up with an opinion that is very stupid.
Letters over autobiographies
What can one find in letters. Usually a little more boring than an autobiography, but raw. There is the artistic mind and perspective, relatable. There is the business mind, as a foil. Wilde's was keen, but he struggled with his standards of delicacy and having to pester his editor to send him a written contract (it took three months). There's philosophy, critical analysis. There is the remembered relationship, apparently abusive.
In one way, it puts me in the mind of a swansong - which is an erroneous concept; the poor bird knows no sudden musical improvement in the final hour. Still, like all the best lies, the metaphor is too striking to be felled by realism.
In itself, De Profundis is one of many final works. What makes it striking is the method of its conception. The author wrote continuously, every page taken from him once finished. There is no reordering, no alterations of style or thought. This is as good as a confession, though much better in purpose. First draft, "reflective essay", as my professors say: the aim of a philosopher and the voice of a lover of language, De Profundis is a swansong, rather than in the truth of that final eponymous croak, yet true to the essence of the concept: vibrant, raw and unrelenting.
Or the Methuen was - who edited the bloody thing? I didn't understand, when I first started reading, how people would accuse Wilde of whining. There, with the intent of keeping Lord Douglas out of this opprobrium for Lilith, someone had cherry-picked all the nice philosophy and left out the 'Bosie, read this and burn, read it all'.
To be fair, if I didn't agree with the path of his thoughts, if his choices weren't of interest to me, I'm fairly sure my review would boast less overblown post-literary glow. I've always been recalcitrant towards moralizing and naïve optimism. I don't care for his words for Bosey.
Letters over autobiographies
What can one find in letters. Usually a little more boring than an autobiography, but raw. There is the artistic mind and perspective, relatable. There is the business mind, as a foil. Wilde's was keen, but he struggled with his standards of delicacy and having to pester his editor to send him a written contract (it took three months). There's philosophy, critical analysis. There is the remembered relationship, apparently abusive.
In one way, it puts me in the mind of a swansong - which is an erroneous concept; the poor bird knows no sudden musical improvement in the final hour. Still, like all the best lies, the metaphor is too striking to be felled by realism.
In itself, De Profundis is one of many final works. What makes it striking is the method of its conception. The author wrote continuously, every page taken from him once finished. There is no reordering, no alterations of style or thought. This is as good as a confession, though much better in purpose. First draft, "reflective essay", as my professors say: the aim of a philosopher and the voice of a lover of language, De Profundis is a swansong, rather than in the truth of that final eponymous croak, yet true to the essence of the concept: vibrant, raw and unrelenting.
Or the Methuen was - who edited the bloody thing? I didn't understand, when I first started reading, how people would accuse Wilde of whining. There, with the intent of keeping Lord Douglas out of this opprobrium for Lilith, someone had cherry-picked all the nice philosophy and left out the 'Bosie, read this and burn, read it all'.
To be fair, if I didn't agree with the path of his thoughts, if his choices weren't of interest to me, I'm fairly sure my review would boast less overblown post-literary glow. I've always been recalcitrant towards moralizing and naïve optimism. I don't care for his words for Bosey.
You must read this letter right through, though each word may become to you as the fire or knife of the surgeon that makes the delicate flesh burn or bleed. [...] Remember also that whatever is misery to you to read, is still greater misery to me to set down.
They have much of the glow of a freshly converted. There is also
With freedom, books, flowers, and the moon, who could not be happy?
in CAPS on the side of a certain building in Reading. I had a few choice answers for the question (unhappy people, blind misanthropists with a runny nose) and a five-minute argument about imposing one's imbecility upon a whole town and my former daily commute. On its own, it's still fairly silly, but one was written by a man in prison, the other by a pretentious busybody. One of those is having an experience, the other is writing something unbearably twee. Like I am.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
velokei's review against another edition
4.5
This was so beautiful omg, highly recommend! Very interesting read that made me think a lot. Some of the Christian elements were a little lost on me however it was very interesting to read the thoughts of one of my favourite book’s author!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Death of parent
jessthanthree's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Confinement
srm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.25
Utterly fascinating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Confinement, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Death of parent
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