Knives out for Oscar?

[firefly]

What has Answerbank got for one of the greatest originaters of phrases in the English language? (see Arts & Literature)

[incitatus]

the survey seems to be coming out in his favour. But Im unsure of your definiton...You more often hear quotes from Mark Twain, Shaw or Dickens than you do from Wilde these days. Unless you are surrounded by luvvies.

[firefly]

Ok then, Incitiatus, a quote from Shaw and Twain, and a quote from Dickens (one that's not from A Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist or A Tale of Two Cities), if you please...

[incitatus]

Twain: "God made an idiot for practice, then he made a school board" or possibly "If you take in a stray dog, feed it, clothe it, dress its wounds, it will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a man and a dog" Shaw "You can tell an old soldier buy the contents off his pockets". "Its not having bad manners or good manners but the same manners to everyone." "why cant a woman be more like a man?" Dickens ...well if you remove the most quoted works it does get trickier, but catchphrases like "something will turn up" and "aged parent" get used a lot. As do character refs to people like Miss Havisham. however the most quoted is probably "The law is a ass" from oliver twist. Now quote me some original wilde which isnt from Earnest or Reading gaol.

[firefly]

I've never heard of those Twain phrases, and I've never heard the phrase aged parent except in P G Woodehouse (aged aunt). Although Rex Harrison said "Why can't a woman be more like a man?" wasn't that in Dr Doolittle? The Law is an ass comes from The Pickwick Papers, doesn't it? A quote from Wilde: "Either this wallpaper goes or I do," I'm not sure I know a quote from the Ballad of Reading Gaol.

[incitatus]

Aged parent is how Uriah Heap refers to his parent, as I recall. No, the rex harrison one was in My Fair LAdy, which was culled wholesale from Shaws Pygmailion. even the jokes are already there. "The Law is A ass" not "An Ass" is said by Mr bumble the beadle in Oliver Twist when he is told he is held by the law to be responsible for his wifes actions. More Twain: "politicians is mainly rapscallions". "Reports of my death have been greatly exagerated." " Golf is a good walk, spoiled" (this one he used, but may have borrowed from Ambrose Beirce. I'm not dissing Wilde, but I dont think his language has aged at all well, and tends to be a bit camp. many of his bon mots were deemed at the time to have come from Ruskin and Shaw by way of the gutter outside the Cafe royal, and the great quotes from his plays are not easy outside context. Many are more like essay titles. A comparison: I have taken young relatives to see both Earnest and Arms and the Man. I had to spend a good deal of time explaining Earnest in terms of social contet. The Shaw had no such problem, and provoked belly laughs, no mean feat from a 12 year old. OK, perhaps they were a little young but I think the example stands. Dont get me wrong, I appreciate wilde, and always go to a new production when I can, but I dont think he is as applicable now as he was even 20 years ago.