Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish playwright, poet and author of numerous short stories and one novel. Known for his biting wit, and a plentitude of aphorisms, he became one of the most successful playwrights of the late Victorian era in London, and one of the greatest celebrities of his day. Several of his plays continue to be widely performed, especially "The Importance of Being Earnest".

"A Critic in Pall Mall" is not a work by Oscar Wilde. Instead, it is a collection of essays and reviews written by Oscar Wilde that was published in 1885 under the title "The Critic As Artist." This collection includes two dialogues: "The Critic As Artist: With Some Remarks on the Importance of Doing Nothing" and "The Decay of Lying: An Observation." In "The Critic As Artist," Wilde explores the role of the critic and the artist in society, arguing that the critic plays an essential role in shaping public opinion about art. He discusses the importance of individualism, aesthetics, and the idea that the critic's subjective response to art is as valuable as objective analysis. In "The Decay of Lying," Wilde satirically examines the relationship between art and reality. He argues that life imitates art far more than art imitates life, advocating for the value of artistic expression and imagination over strict adherence to reality. Both essays are known for their wit, humor, and paradoxical statements, which are characteristic of Wilde's writing style. These essays are considered significant contributions to the fields of literary criticism and aesthetics.

Excerpt from A Critic in Pall Mall: Being Extracts From Reviews and Miscellanies Dramatic Club is to act Henry IV. I am not surprised. The spirit of comedy is as fervent in this play as is the Spirit of chivalry; it is an heroic pageant as well as an heroic poem, and like most of Shakespeare's historical dramas it contains an extra ordinary number of thoroughly good acting parts, each of which is absolutely individual in character, and each of which contributes to the evolution of the plot. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

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