“It is thy mouth that I desire, Iokanaan. Thy mouth is like a band of scarlet on a tower of ivory. It is like a pomegranate cut in twain with a knife of ivory. The pomegranate flowers that blossom in the gardens of Tyre, and are redder than roses, are not so red. The red blasts of trumpets that herald the approach of kings, and make afraid the enemy, are not so red. Thy mouth is redder than the feet of those who tread the wine in the wine-press. It is redder than the feet of the doves who … [Read more...] about Salome is Always With Us
Oscar Wilde
Art of the Quip
The Picture of Dorian Gray is Oscar Wilde’s only novel…for good reason. Literary genius is not necessarily adept at all forms. Here is a parlor game: which authors wrote excellent novels, short stories, plays, essays, and poems? Off the top of my head, I can’t think of anyone. Or, make the game easier by aiming at 4 out of 5. Or would it have to be 3 out of 5 to get any entrants? Wilde’s forte was “The Quip.” He was a manufacturer of one-liners; indeed his only rivals in that form might be … [Read more...] about Art of the Quip