George Eliot vs. Oscar Wilde on Art

Next Monday we will compare two pieces with distinct positions on what constitutes good art.  They are a chapter from George Eliot's novel Adam Bede (published in 1859, but set in 1799), "In Which the Story Pauses a Little," and Oscar Wilde's dialogue, "The Decay of Lying." (published in 1889).

Eliot interrupts

George Eliot (1819-1880)

Adam Bede with a reflection on aesthetics as spoken by the novel's narrator.  The reader of this chapter doesn't need to know the details of this novel about a humble young carpenter seeking to establish himself and find love in the English village of Hayslope in order to understand Eliot's arguments.  As she writes:

"All honor and reverence to the divine beauty of form!  Let us cultivate it to the utmost in men, women, and children -- in our gardens and in our houses. But let us love that other beauty too, which lies in no secret of proportion, but in the secret of deep human sympathy." [Emphasis added]

"The Decay of Lying" takes the form of a dialogue between two men named for Wilde's sons, Cyril and Vivian. Vivian's position is summed up by its concluding paragraph:

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

"At twilight nature becomes a wonderfully suggestive effect, and is not without loveliness, though perhaps its chief use is to illustrate quotations from the poets."  A wonderful Wildean epigram.  Is it ironic?  To discuss on Monday.