TheVitalImportanceofWilde’sbonsmots

EmilyEellsCREA(Centrederecherchesanglophones)

UniversitédeParisOuestNanterreLaDéfense

AbsintheAfterthefirstglass,youseethingsasyouwishtheywere.Afterthesecond,youseemthemastheyarenot.Finallyyouseethingsastheyreallyare,andthatisthemosthorriblethingintheworld.(“Reminiscences”byAdaLeverson)

Zola,EmileM.Zola’scharacters…havetheirdrearyvices,andtheirdreariervirtues.Therecordoftheirlivesisabsolutelywithoutinterest.Whocareswhathappenstothem?Inliteraturewerequiredistinction,charm,beauty,andimaginativepower.Wedon’twanttobeharrowedanddisgustedwiththeaccountofthedoingsofthelowerorders.(“TheDecayofLying”)

KarlBeckson,1996.

Iln’y aqu’une sorte d’amour,mais il yen amilledifférentes copies.Nosvertus nesont,leplussouvent,quedesvicesdéguisés.

“everyonewasrepeatinghis‘mots’”.AdaLeverson,Letters totheSphinx

“Everywriterofanyindividualityhas,sotospeak,histrademark;buttherearetimeswhentheoutputofMrWilde’sepigramfactorythreatenstobecomealltrademarkandnosubstance. »(WilliamArcheronAnIdealHusband,PallMallBudget10January1895)

“hisone-linershadtheperfectpitchandpromiseofastrucktuning-fork,buttheyissuedfromanimaginationinwhichfardeeperharmonieswerelatentandconstantlyinsearchofmoreresonantformsofexpression.”SeamusHeaney

PhilipE.SmithIIandMichaelS.Helfand,eds.OscarWilde’sOxfordNotebooks:APortraitoftheMindintheMaking,1989.

IanSmall,OscarWildeRevalued1993.

Youcan’tmakeafoolofapersonunlessheisafoolalready

Toentermarriedlifewithamanincapableofdeceptionwouldaugurillforahappyfuture.

Awomanshouldknownothingbeforemarriage,andlessafterwards.

Ihaveneversownwildoats:Ihaveplantedafeworchids.

“Leadingadoublelifeistheonlyproperpreparationformarriage-”

“Idon’tknowanyDuchesswhocouldbedescribedasthethinedgeofanywedge-”

Beauty “Rien n’est vrai quelebeau.”

LabeautéestparfaiteLabeautépeuttoutechoseLabeautéestlaseulechoseaumondequin’existepasademi[sic]

“danslaviemoraleilestbeaudequelquefoisfairenaufrage”

JosephdeLaFontLeNaufrage ou lapompe funèbre deCrispin

Sivousvoulez,malgrél'orage,Voguerencoreencebeaujour,Quecesoitsurlamerd'Amour:Ilestbeau d'y fairenaufrage.

L'Amourenquittantlerivage,Promettoujoursunheureuxsort;Aveclui,jusquedansleport,Ilestbeaudefaire naufrage.

LordHenryThePictureofDorianGray (chapter17)‘YesterdayIcutanorchid,formybutton-hole.Itwasamarvellousspottedthing,aseffectiveasthesevendeadlysins.’

Algernon. Inever haveany appetiteunless Ihaveabuttonhole first.

“Ones[sic]buttonholemaybeallowedtoberomanticinfeeling,butones[sic]necktieshouldbedistinctlyclassicalbothinstyleandtreatment.”(manuscriptnote)

“Thebuttonholeinparticular,theonlysociallyacceptableformofmalefloraladornment,becameachargedsiteinWilde’sandthefindesiècle’shomoeroticimagery.Associatedwithdandies,AesthetesandDecadents,theexoticboutonnièrewasasignofquestionablemasculinity.Theinsertionofflowersintoeyelets,furthermore,functionedasasymbolofandprecursortosexualactivity.”

AlisonSyme,ATouchofBlossom:JohnSingerSargentandtheQueerFloraofFin-de-SiècleArt.

Sentimentisallverywellforthebutton-hole.Buttheessentialthingforanecktieisstyle.Awell-tiedtieisthefirstseriousstepinlife”.LordIllingworthinAWomanofNoImportance,act3.

An Idealhusband BeginningofAct3Stagedirections:LORDGORINGentersineveningdresswithabuttonhole.[…]LORDGORING Gotmysecondbuttonholeforme,Phipps?PHIPPS Yes,mylord.[Takeshishat,cane,andcape,andpresentsnewbuttonholeonsalver.]LORDGORING Ratherdistinguishedthing,Phipps.IamtheonlypersonofthesmallestimportanceinLondonatpresentwhowearsabuttonhole.PHIPPS Yes,mylord.Ihaveobservedthat,LORDGORING [Takingoutoldbuttonhole.]Yousee,Phipps,Fashioniswhatonewearsoneself.Whatisunfashionableiswhatotherpeoplewear.

Areallywell-madebuttonholeistheonlylinkbetweenArtandNature.“PhrasesandPhilosophiesfortheUseofYoung”TheChameleonOxford,December1894

LordHenry:“Ihatevulgarrealisminliterature.Themanwhocouldcallaspadeaspadeshouldbecompelledtouseone.Itistheonlythingheisfitfor."

“TheDecayofLying”(1891).“If[…]weregardNatureasthecollectionofphenomenaexternaltoman,peopleonlydiscoverinherwhattheybringtoher. Shehasnosuggestionsofherown. Wordsworth wenttothelakes,buthewasneveralakepoet. Hefoundinstonesthesermonshehadalreadyhiddenthere. Hewentmoralisingaboutthedistrict,buthisgoodworkwasproducedwhenhereturned,nottoNaturebuttopoetry. Poetrygavehim‘Laodamia,’andthefinesonnets,andthegreatOde,suchasitis. Naturegavehim‘MarthaRay’and‘PeterBell,’andtheaddresstoMr.Wilkinson’sspade.”

ToTheSpadeofAFriendbyWilliamWordsworthComposedwhilewewerelabouringtogetherinhisPleasure-Ground.

Spade!withwhichWilkinsonhathtill'd hisLands,Andshap'd thesepleasantwalksbyEamont's side,

Thouartatoolofhonourinmyhands;Ipresstheethroughtheyieldingsoilwithpride.

WhoshallinheritTheewhenDeathhathlaidLowinthedarksomeCellthineowndearLord?ThatManwillhaveatrophy,humble,Spade!MorenoblethanthenoblestWarrior'ssword.

WithTheehewillnotdreadatoilsomeday,HispowerfulServant,hisinspiringMate!

And,whenthouartpastservice,wornaway,Theeasurvivingsoulshallconsecrate.

Wheneverthenecessitiesoflifearedearer/cheaperthantheluxuriesoflifethecommunitybecomesuncivilized.Breadshouldbealwaysdearerthanflowers.

Manuscriptnote

“Ilovethetheatre ;it’ssomuchmorerealthanlife”

“Theworldisastagebuttheplayisbadlycast”LordArthurSavile'sCrime

Ilestbienplusintelligentdediredessottisesqued’enécouter,c’estégalementbeaucoupplusrare.

Itismuchcleverertotalknonsensethantolistentoit,mydearfellow,andamuchrarerthingtoo.”Algernon4actversion

“[…] the literary fact of the matter is that the axe which iskeenest, the one which is still most capable of shattering thesurfaces of convention, is […] the hard-edged, unpatheticprose that Wilde created […] in dramas like The Importance ofBeing Earnest. His heady paradoxes, his over-the-topness atknocking the bottom out of things, the rightness of hiswrongfooting, all that high-wire word-play, all that freedom toaffront and to exult in his uniqueness - that was Wilde’s truepath to solidarity. The lighter his touch, the more devastatinghis effect. When he walked on air, hewas on solid ground.”

SeamusHeaney