Intentions

Intentions is a collection of four essays by Oscar Wilde, first published in 1891.

Written as sparkling dialogues and polished portraits, it serves as a manifesto for the late-Victorian aesthetic movement and Wilde’s lifelong defense of art for art’s sake.

In “The Decay of Lying,” Wilde playfully argues that art thrives on beautiful untruths, insisting that imagination—not fact—gives art its power. He flips common sense on its head to claim that life often imitates art, celebrating style, invention, and deliberate artifice over mere realism.

“The Critic as Artist” pushes the idea that criticism is itself a creative act. Far from being secondary, the critic shapes meaning, reveals unseen possibilities, and stands as a maker in his own right—advancing Wilde’s view that aesthetic appreciation is a form of creation.

Balancing provocation with wit, “Pen, Pencil and Poison” explores the unsettling intersection of beauty and immorality, while “The Truth of Masks” defends theatrical costume as a vehicle for deeper dramatic truth. Across the collection, Wilde’s paradoxes and epigrams invite readers to question moralizing approaches to culture and embrace the autonomy of art.

"Cyril (coming in through the open window from the terrace). My dear Vivian, don’t coop yourself up all day in the library. It is a perfectly lovely afternoon. The air is exquisite. There is a mist upon the woods, like the purple bloom upon a plum. Let us go and lie on the grass and smoke cigarettes and enjoy Nature."