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[welkins2139]

Wilde concludes the preface by saying that it is fine to create something useful so long as it is not admired as art. The only reason for creating something useless is to admire it a great deal. Thus, �All art is quite useless.� That is, it exists for its own sake as art (�art for art�s sake�) and not for some moral purpose.

Would you explain the bold text?

Thank you

[CP]

This is from the preface to Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray." You can read the preface here:

http://www.upword.com/wilde/dorgrayp.html

and the entire novel here:

http://www.upword.com/wilde/dorgray.html

In part, I think, it is another of Wilde's criticism of critics. He does not need to defend his books or plays as being good or bad, useful or useless. They are art, so they are useless by definition.

But I suggest that you read the preface first, and then see if you still have questions about what the quoted passage (written by someone other than Wilde) means.
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