“ It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious. ”
Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere's Fan (1893). copy citation
| Author | Oscar Wilde |
|---|---|
| Source | Lady Windermere's Fan |
| Topic | goodness charm |
| Date | 1893 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/790/790-h/790-h.htm |
Context
“It is a terrible thing, Lord Darlington.
Lord Darlington. Do you know I am afraid that good people do a great deal of harm in this world. Certainly the greatest harm they do is that they make badness of such extraordinary importance. It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious. I take the side of the charming, and you, Lady Windermere, can't help belonging to them.
Lady Windermere. Now, Lord Darlington. [Rising and crossing R., front of him.] Don't stir, I am merely going to finish my flowers.” source
Lord Darlington. Do you know I am afraid that good people do a great deal of harm in this world. Certainly the greatest harm they do is that they make badness of such extraordinary importance. It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious. I take the side of the charming, and you, Lady Windermere, can't help belonging to them.
Lady Windermere. Now, Lord Darlington. [Rising and crossing R., front of him.] Don't stir, I am merely going to finish my flowers.” source
Meaning and analysis
