![]() ![]() He writes, "if something cannot be done to check, or at least to modify, our monstrous worship of facts, Art will become sterile and beauty will pass away from the land." Moreover, Vivian defends the idea that Life imitates Art far more than vice versa. According to Vivian, the decay of Lying "as an art, a science, and a social pleasure" is responsible for the decline of modern literature, which is excessively concerned with the representation of facts and social reality. Vivian tells Cyril of an article he has been writing called "The Decay of Lying: A Protest". Their conversation, though playful and whimsical, promotes Wilde's view of Aestheticism over Realism. Wilde presents the essay in a Socratic dialogue between Vivian and Cyril, two characters named after his own sons. This is a significantly revised version of the article that first appeared in the January 1889 issue of The Nineteenth Century. ![]() ![]() " The Decay of Lying – An Observation" is an essay by Oscar Wilde included in his collection of essays titled Intentions, published in 1891. ![]()
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