Reviews for Antiphon: The Speeches

The average rating for Antiphon: The Speeches based on 2 reviews is 2.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-12-30 00:00:00 John Dillow I own The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde and read a bunch of his shorter essays (all of which are probably not published in Intentions but who cares.) I desperately wanted to review them and thought it would be useful to do that collectively (I'm reviewing the bigger essays seperately). So here goes nothing. Mrs Langtry as Hester Grazebrook - 7 November 1882 During his visit to the States, Oscar made the acquaintance of many well-known actresses, Lilie Langtry being one of them. When he doubled as a guest drama critic for the New York World, he reviewed the actress's début as Hester Grazebrook in Tom Taylor's unexceptional old play An Unequal Match. Sporting a new red suit that made him look like a 'red squash', in the jaundiced opinion of another theatergoer, Oscar produced a fulsome review that was remarkable for both what it said and what it left unsaid. Lantry, he wrote, was 'the ideal representation of marvelous beauty'. Hers was a beauty 'based on absolute mathematical laws' - he neglected to furnish the formula - a 'mingling of classic grace with absolute reality.' He pointedly said nothing about her acting ability, perhaps adhering to the adage that the less said the better. ;) Other critics were not so merciful. The New York Dramatic Mirror found Langtry weak-voiced and stiff-limbed, and predicted that 'she is not and perhaps never will be an actress of genuine worth.' Ouch. I love that Oscar decided against hurting the feelings of that poor woman. It's crazy to think that, later in life, he as well would experience what it was like to be slandered in the press. He ends his review in his typical Oscar fashion: 'But then it is only the impossible things that are worth doing nowadays!' Woman's Dress - 14 October 1884 During his time as a contributor to The Pall Mall Gazette, Oscar received many responses from his readers - good and bad. In Woman's Dress [aka Oscar - The Fasion Expert] he takes upon 'that most charming of all pleasures, the pleasure of answering one's critics'. ;) [I'm still hollering.] Oscar was an advocate for comfortable clothes. He was outspoken against the usage of corsets and high heels, which is pretty fucking cool considering the prevalent attitudes in Victorian London. He argued that with comfortable clothes 'there is more health, and consequently more beauty.' Aww. He's such a good boy! I loved how easily he dismissed the critical letters he received concerning that people (of people who believed that a woman's dress code ought to be more strict). Now, as regards to the first of these two statements, I will say, to begin with, that the warmth of apparel does not depend really on the number of garments worn, but on the material of which they are made. Preach it, mister, he knew his shit. Overall this essay really delighted me because it showed that Oscar was an advocate of woman's rights in some part and refused to conform to the standard set by society. Mr Whistler's Ten O'Clock - 21 February 1885 This is a review of a lecture on art by Mr Whistler that Oscar attended and quite enjoyed. He mused about Whistler's charming ease and grace of manner. It was interesting to see how Oscar's opinion on Art changed throughout his life. In this review he states that 'an artist is not an isolated fact; he is the resultant of a certain milieu and a certain entourage. Later in life, after having published some plays and fiction pieces of his own, this view changed entirely. He came to the conclusion that artists were completely detached from society and not a representation of their age and cutlure. Dinners and Dishes - 7 March 1885 This review of a cookbook was such a gold mine. It's only two pages long, so treat yourself and read it. In it Oscar muses about the imporant question of macaroni. [I SHIT YOU NOT] He also talks about the fact that Risotto is a delightful dish which is too rarely seen in England. And that he was happy that the cook managed to come up with a recipe that made Brussel sprouts eatable, and I quote, 'the last is, of course, a masterpiece.' Oh myyyy, my inner Oscar-fangirl is so happy right now. These are facts I didn't know I needed in my life. Hamlet at the Lyceum - 9 May 1885 Oscar went to see Hamlet at the Lyceum in London and then reviewed the performance for the Dramatic Review. He states that he has seen many audiences more interesting than the actors, and that he has often heard better dialogue in the foyer than on the stage. At the Lyceum however, this was rarely the case. The review is written in his usual humouristic manner. I literally spit out my tea when I read some of his hilarious statements. I would like, in fact, to use the word ovation, but a pedantic professer has recently informed us that this expression is not to be employed except when a sheep is sacrificed. It's always of great interest to me to see in which way Oscar examined Art. He made the distincion between living and existing, and here he talked about the difference between reciting a passage and acting one. Additionally, it was fun to see what he thought of Hamlet as a play. We learn that he was never able to distinguish Guildenstern from Rosencrantz and that he considers Ophelia to be the most difficult part. Reading his review actually made me wanna reread Hamlet. s Olivia at the Lyceum - 30 May 1885 This review wasn't all that interesting to me because I am not familiar with the play discussed. Nonetheless, I liked that Oscar talked about studying the same subject under different conditions of art (e.g. a poem vs a play vs a short story). It also made me ridiculously happy to see how unapologeticaly gay some of these passages were. He mused about Thornhill being 'an admirable picture of a fascinating young rake' and that he was pleased to learn, above all, that Mr Burchell had a 'charming and attractive nephew.' Alrighty. ;) A Handbook to Marriage - 18 November 1885 Oscar begins his review with the following words: 'In spite of its somewhat alarming title this book may be highly recommended to everyone.' I was a little scared about what Oscar would spit out on that touchy subject matter but was surprised at how well he handled it. In our day it is best for man to be married, and men must give up the tyranny in married life which was once so dear to them, and which, we are afraid [!], lingers still, here and there. I was pretty relieved to see that Oscar tried to promote the equality of men and women. Oh, I can't deny you this last fact, he uses the words 'Scotch lassie' once and I never cringed so hard in my life. Balzac in English - 13 September 1886 Oscar being a huge fan of Balzac contemplates in this review why he is so rarely read in England. This whole thing is basically him roasting the terrible English translators. Being fluent in French as well as in English, he was appaled to see with what horrible translations these people came up with. and to translate 'son coeur avait un calus à l'endroit du loyer' by 'his heart was a callus in the direction of the lease' is an insult to two languages. It was also delightful to read how much he appreciated a well-written book. He proved himself to be a true bibliophile stating that he could understand anyone who would rather stay at home and read than meet their friends outside. In spite of this, there are many people who havew declared the Comédie humaine to be indigestible. Perhaps it is: but then what about truffles? Exactly, what about them? ;) A Ride Through Morocco - 8 October 1886 This is yet another book review, so Oscar himself has never been to Morocco. Nonetheless, being the ignorant white male that he was, he judged the country pretty harshly talking about the fact that 'freedom of thought has been killed by the Koran' and that 'there is no doubt that in Morocco England has interests to defend and a mission to pursue.' UGH! I could cry. All of this colonialist bullshit makes me wanna puke. That's not how I raised my son. The American Invasion - 23 March 1887 In this essay Oscar examines, yet again, the differences between the US and the UK. He says that one can dine in New York, but one does not dwell there. He thinks that American barbarism is far more interesting than American civilisation. Americans would sound like a series of exploding crackers. American girls have a wonderful charm, he states, whereas their mothers are dull and dreary. Basically, Oscar is judging everyone left and right as if it were nobody's business. All those generalizations about people he didn't even knew. Ugh! It's enough to piss me off. Nonetheless, I had to smirk upon reading this: The American mother is a tedious person. The American father is better, for he is never seen in London. I admit it, he got me there. It's interesting to see how his view on America changed five years after lecturing there. I'll definitely research what prompted this change. Two Biographies of Keats - 27 September 1887 I don't care all that much about Keats but it was interesting to see Oscar's approach to art. He thinks that seperating the man from the artist is a mistake. He sees them as one. Also, he knew of Colerdige's Ode to a Nightingale and that makes me very happy. Aristotle at Afternoon Tea - 16 December 1887 This is Oscar's review of a social guide on how débutantes and dandies should behave when going out to dine. It was fun to see with which points Oscar agreed and with which he didn't. He agreed that nothing can be more irritating than a person always repeting their phrases. It was fun to know that he would later write one of his female characters exactly this way to make her appear stupid and tedious. It's interesting to see how much thought he put into the shaping of his characters concerning their language. He also thought that it's a faux pas to constantly apologize for one's own shortcomings/stupidity. And, as for sympathy, 'what could be more detestable than the man, or woman, who insists on agreeing with everybody.' To succeed among one's social superiors one must have no hesitation in contradicting them. I know Oscar was a little shit-head but you don't even know what I would give to have witnessed him live at one of the many London dinner parties he attended. The maxim, 'If you find the company dull, blame yourself,' seems to us somewhat optimistic, and we have no sympathy at all with the professional story-teller who is really a great bore at a dinner-table. Oh, Oscar, let's be pessimistic together! Mr Morris on Tapestry - 2 November 1888 I shit you not, Oscar went to a lecture by Mr William Morris on the fucking topic of tapestry. Oh boy, that man definitely had too much time on his hands. Anyways it was interesting to see that Oscar thought that limitations (e.g. space, time, money) would make artists more creative and productive since they would be forced to concentrate. Kind of have to agree on that. I never get shit done unless someone pressures me. ;) London Models - January 1889 In this essay Oscar is basically shitting on models as a whole. He isn't a fan of these modern models at all because they would do anything for me (even landscape, if necessary. :D You probably won't get this joke but you have to read the essay then. MUAHAHA). None of them can talk Greek, but all of them want to look Greek. So he's basically whining about the fact that culture is slowly but surely becoming superficial. And, so he infers, when art becomes artificial it becomes monotonous. It is really of very little use to dress up a London girl in Greek draperies and to paint her as a goddess. The robe may be the robe of Athens, but the face is usually the face of Brompton. I'm lowkey living for his pettiness though. Anyways, none of this really matters (to me, at least) because he also talked about fucking gymnastics and acrobatics (my passion) and how beautiful it is. He also states that we live in a world that 'reads too much to be wise, and thinks to much to be beautiful'. I'm shook!

Review # 2 was written on 2020-01-13 00:00:00 Michael Hardesty "For a dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world" A collection of writings and observations, Intentions ponders topics such as what art is and whether criticism can be an art form to how wardrobe details affect a play and the audience's perception of the play. A little pretentious at times, but still rather entertaining, with Wilde's usual sass and wit and incredible quote-ability, this was a thoroughly entertaining read.