Stylistic Features of Oscar Wilde’s Wrightings

about life.”(p.72).

All kinds of works – intensifiers, such as “Never, always, often” are used by Oscar Wilde for creating the abstractness and generalisation.

e.g. “Questions are never indiscreet.

Answers sometimes are.” (p. 180)

“Beautiful women never have time. They are

always so occupied in being jealous of other

people’s husbands.” (p.108)

“All men are married women’s property” (p.114)

“The clever people never listen and the stupid

people never talk.”(p.109)

For creating the abstractness Wilde also uses such words as “men, women, people, we, one”, etc.

e.g. “One should never trust a woman who tells one

her real age” (p.110).

“We men know life too early. And we women

know life too late. That is the difference between

men and women” (p.165).

“People are either hunting for husbands, or hiding

from them” (p.181).

One of the most characteristic and essential features of epigrams and paradoxes is their shortness and conciseness. They are achieved by the syntactical pattern of an epigram or paradox. The syntax of these stylistic devices is laconic and clear – cut.

e.g. “Men become old, but they never become good”

(p.33).

“Do not use bid words. They mean so little”

(p.252).

In these examples we can see the parallel constructions widely used by Oscar Wilde. They serve a perfect means of creating the clear-cut syntax of epigrams and paradoxes.

Another peculiarity of Wilde’s epigrams and paradoxes is his use of such construction as “that is the difference…”