- Date
- 1891
- Local voice
- Authorial / signed preface voice · Oscar Wilde — Preface
Meaning of “All art is quite useless.”
The deliberately shocking ending to the preface argues for art’s independence from practical utility, forcing the reader to ask what aesthetic value means.
Where does it come from?
The Picture of Dorian Gray, 1891 edition, Preface; the final aphorism of Wilde’s aesthetic manifesto.
Why the local voice matters
This is the closing aphorism of Wilde’s signed Preface to The Picture of Dorian Gray.
