--- title: "Shorter Prose Pieces by Oscar Wilde — Classic Ebook | Publica Now" description: "Read a free sample of Shorter Prose Pieces by Oscar Wilde at Publica Now — a public-domain classic ebook, readable online." canonical: "https://publica.now/creators/vito/works/shorter-prose-pieces" --- Literary # Shorter Prose Pieces by Oscar Wilde [ V Vito ](https://publica.now/creators/vito) Follow $2.99 [ Sign in to buy ](https://publica.now/access?redirect=%2Fcheckout%2Fshorter-prose-pieces) Secure payment on Stripe. publica.now never sees your card. Share Link copied Format epub Published May 02, 2026 Rating No reviews yet ![Shorter Prose Pieces](https://fls-a13cb2d7-1b3e-4883-a0bd-297afd110a11.367be3a2035528943240074d0096e0cd.r2.cloudflarestorage.com/works/01kqn1y3e7wyb1y4q9s8kgzw92/editions/2026-09-06-html-v1/cover.png?X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=d29ce3bb571c165c97a702f29f7aee93%2F20260927%2Fauto%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260927T015650Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=3600&X-Amz-Signature=16cb45a28a0fa236bae709c5991079cfdda39215a99ac50fec4dba9c4d0baadc) ## About this work In Shorter Prose Pieces, Oscar Wilde transforms wit into a form of rebellion. The collection opens with “Phrases and Philosophies for the Use of the Young,” a dazzling sequence of paradoxes on art, pleasure, truth, society, youth, and the curious obligations of being oneself. Wilde then turns his gaze to beauty and performance in a portrait of Mrs. Langtry as Hester Grazebrook, before exploring fashion, women’s dress, costume, and dress reform with characteristic theatricality and intellectual mischief. “The American Invasion,” “Sermons in Stones at Bloomsbury,” and “L’Envoi” extend the volume’s range, bringing together observations on culture, appearance, art, and public life. Brilliant, provocative, and impossible to read passively, these shorter pieces offer Wilde at his most concentrated: a master of the epigram, the aesthetic argument, and the perfectly turned phrase. This Publica.now Classics edition includes a new typographic cover and publisher opening and closing pages. Sample ## Take a look inside Transcribed from the 1920 Methuen edition of Art and Decoration by David Price, email ccx074@pglaf.lorg OSCAR WILDE—SHORTER PROSE PIECES CONTENTS PAGE Phrases and Philosophies for the use of the Young 1 Mrs. Langtry as Hester Grazebrook 53 Slaves of Fashion 56 Woman’s Dress 60 More Radical Ideas upon Dress Reform 66 Costume 80 The American Invasion 83 Sermons in Stones at Bloomsbury 90 L’Envoi 119 PHRASES AND PHILOSOPHIES FOR THE USE OF THE YOUNG (December 1894) The first duty in life is to be as artificial as possible. What the second duty is no one has as yet discovered. Wickedness is a myth invented by good people to account for the curious attractiveness of others. If the poor only had profiles there would be no difficulty in solving the problem of poverty. Those who see any difference between soul and body have neither. A really well-made buttonhole is the only link between Art and Nature. Religions die when they are proved to be true. Science is the record of dead religions. The well-bred contradict other people. The wise contradict themselves. Nothing that actually occurs is of the smallest importance. Dulness is the coming of age of seriousness. In all unimportant matters, style, not sincerity, is the essential. In all important matters, style, not sincerity, is the essential. If one tells the truth one is sure, sooner or later, to be found out. Pleasure is the only thing one should live for. Nothing ages like happiness. It is only by not paying one’s bills that one can hope to live in the memory of the commercial classes. No crime is vulgar, but all vulgarity is crime. Vulgarity is the conduct of others. Only the shallow know themselves. Time is waste of money. One should always be a little improbable. There is… [ Sign in to buy ](https://publica.now/access?redirect=%2Fcheckout%2Fshorter-prose-pieces) The sample continues in the full work. [ #aphorisms ](/search?query=aphorisms) [ #wit ](/search?query=wit) [ #style ](/search?query=style) [ #dress reform ](/search?query=dress+reform) [ #fashion ](/search?query=fashion) [ #art ](/search?query=art) ## Reviews No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts. [Sign in to leave a review](https://publica.now/access?redirect=%2Fcreators%2Fvito%2Fworks%2Fshorter-prose-pieces) No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts. 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