Life, 1893-12-21 · page 10 of 18
Life — December 21, 1893 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Life Magazine Page 398: Drama Section Analysis This page critiques contemporary theater, specifically targeting Oscar Wilde's play "A Woman of No Importance." The text accuses Wilde of manufacturing social controversy artificially—posing questions about "nasty social subjects" without genuine moral intent, merely to attract audiences and money. The cartoons illustrate humorous drinking and domestic scenes unrelated to the drama criticism. The "Musical Suggestion" jokes about bar culture, while the lower comics depict comedic situations. The core satire attacks Wilde's theatrical approach as cynical exploitation: using shock value and "nasty platitudes" as dialogue rather than meaningful social commentary. The critic argues Wilde deliberately undresses serious issues for entertainment profit, corrupting theater's potential for genuine moral education.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
man, as he $ man who was in a hurry, “ who wanted to bet $300 to $50 on the big game—and I took him up.” A MUSICAL SUGGESTION. OMPOSE a liquid melody For any drinking song ; Providing stops at every bar, The motive to prolong. “e HERE was a man came in here the other day,” thoughtfully remarked the elevator ammed the door to in the face of the THE DREAM OF THE WOULD-BE MISSIONARY. PR — DELUDED, BUT HAPPY. HERE is no use in trying to deny said one young man to another, “ Blimmins is badly married, 1 hate to say it, but ii Ng “ How do you know?” “ By a talk I just had with him.” “ Does he complain?” “No, That's the pathetic part of it. He was telling me how good natured and clever his wife is, because, this morning, she showed him how to fasten his sus- pender with a hairpin.” ““ ITH many people distance lends enchantment to a pew. MORE FILTH. M R, BURNAND, the editor of our esteemed but defunct contem- i porary, London Punch, noted in his “ Happy Thoughts" that exasperating habit of a repartee never to present itself to one's con- sciousness until the proper time to use it has irretrievably passed. To remedy this evil he proposed to compile ar alphabetical book of repar- tees which one might carry in his pocket, and thus always be ready. Tt would start, for example, with “* Repartees to an Artillerist,” and running through the A’s, “* Repartees to a Butcher,” etc., “ Repartees to a Cabman,” e‘c., go through the whole alphabet. In *A Woman of No Importance,” Mr. Oscar Wilde has done somewhat the same thing. Having secured a nasty plot and arranged his scenario, he has evidently propounded to himself a lot of questions on y social subjects, and then, at his leisure, composed more or witty replies to them. These he has mingled with a number of nasty platitudes and then, at various spots in the play, drags portions of this concoction in by the heels to serve as dialogue. Mr, Wilde does not seem to be thoroughly at home in anything but nastiness. It is only natural, therefore, that he should choose for the motive of his play a social sin, and then revel in the depiction and dissection of its consequenc He does not even pretend to draw a moral or teach a lesson by this uncovering of a filth heap. He disgusts us by an exhibition of horrid scars and running sores, but only to gratify curiosity and gain money—not to cure a disease nor find a remedy. He has torn every garment from his prurient fancy, decked it with tinsel witticisms to heighten its nudity, and lets his vanity glow with satisfac- tion at whatever notice the debasement of his intelleci attracts. It is pitiful that there is a likelihood of this play’s making money for its author, Not that any one begrudges him even the price of a good strong rope, but because the financial success of a bad thing incites other bad productions. And, unfortunately, the patrons of such a play are not the people who could witness it without harm. comicbooks.com