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The Decay Of Lying Essay

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The key points of Aestheticism, discussed in detail in Oscar Wilde's fictionalized discussion between two characters, "The Decay of Lying," are the following: Art never expresses anything but itself, all bad art comes from returning to life and Nature and elevating them to ideals, life imitates art far more than art imitates life, and lying is the proper aim of art. According to these key points, many great pieces of literature would not be viewed as art due to be so closely linked to life, or to some didactic message. Traditionally, literature was meant to teach or to leave some lasting message behind, but according to Oscar Wilde, that is the complete opposite of art. Jane Eyre, the famous novel by Charlotte Bronte, is not exempt when it comes to Wilde's ideas of what defines something as "art." While highly stylized with rich language and mystical allusions and symbolism, Jane Eyre would not be considered a work of art because of how realistic it was, and because of how critical it was of modern society at the time. A key component of art is that, …show more content…

It should be a work of the imagination and not based in anything of this world. If it is too realistic or truthful, it cannot be considered a piece of art. Even though the story of Jane and Rochester is a work of fiction, the setting itself is not imaginative at all. Had the story been real, it would have taken place in Bronte's life time, and many of the events could have been experienced by her or by those she knew. "The ancient historians gave us delightful fiction in the form of fact; the modern novelist presents us with dull facts under the guise of fiction" (2). Bronte committed a cardinal sin in the eyes of Oscar Wilde; she created a story that, in Wilde's opinion, lacked an imaginative edge. Even though the story was fictional, it still contained far too many factual elements to be considered

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