How would you interpret this Oscar Wilde quote? (1 Viewer)

[ConHeo]

"Literature always anticipates life. It does not copy it, but moulds it to its purpose." - Oscar Wilde
Discuss the extent to which this statement is true of at least ONE text you have read in the past year.

Not asking anyone to do my essay for me, hands off! But I'd like to know how you interpret this quote. It's not that I don't get it, it's more like I want to make sure I have the right idea. This essay is due by the 10th of December 2012 and I'm still deciding on a text to pick up.

So... what does this quote mean?

 

[LoveHateSchool]

Ohh I love Oscar Wilde quotes! And I haven't seen tis one before.

The quote can be interpreted in a few ways. to break it down:
*The first part is talking about how the context (way the world is) influences its creation. Think after the Cold War, and the dystopian fiction that followed it. Technology age and the move to science fiction/speculative fiction etc.
*The second part however state it is not a direct copy of life and the way world is at its time. Rather it uses this inspiration to be woven into the story purpose. It uses its context to question, to speculate or maybe even to mock through satire.

So in conjunction, it is talking about the influences that shape the work, and how this contextual influence is appropriated in the work. But I'd check with your English teacher what interpretation they're going with for it

 

[ConHeo]

Mmm yeah. Do you think it would be a good idea to do "The Picture of Dorian Gray"? You know, Oscar Wilde quote, Oscar Wilde book?

 

[LoveHateSchool]

Mmm yeah. Do you think it would be a good idea to do "The Picture of Dorian Gray"? You know, Oscar Wilde quote, Oscar Wilde book?

Well I love Wilde so you could. I personally love the play The Importance of Being Earnest, it's pretty fun as it critiques society. Picture of Dorian Grey would have good societal influenced themes to dissect imho.

 

[ConHeo]

Haven't read The Importance of Being Earnest, but I plan to. Another idea I have for a text to do for this is, I'm not sure if you've read it and if you haven't you should, but I might do The Book Thief. I'm reading it currently and I usually work better with texts that are still fresh in my mind, so if you've read it do you personally think it'd be a good text to dissect?

 

[LoveHateSchool]

Haven't read The Importance of Being Earnest, but I plan to. Another idea I have for a text to do for this is, I'm not sure if you've read it and if you haven't you should, but I might do The Book Thief. I'm reading it currently and I usually work better with texts that are still fresh in my mind, so if you've read it do you personally think it'd be a good text to dissect?

Marcus Zuzak? I LOVE, LOVE that novel so much. Arr it actually inspired the EE1 piece I wrote in my HSC exam.

I just love the face death is the narrator-the use of irony, sarcasm and the introspective style, and how he adresses the audience of the story would make for a unique novel to analyse.

 

[ConHeo]

YES! The Marcus Zusak novel Death as the narrator is really cool. I think I've decided on it, cool, thanks