Keyword: «impressionism in literature»

The research study explored the impressionist characteristics of Oscar Wilde’s works, primarily poetic. Wilde’s critical essays («The Decay of Lying», «Pen, Pencil and Poison», «The Critic as Artist») are best representations of Wilde’s artistic manifesto. The authors’ results of text analysis presented that there was a significant relationship between Wilde’s aesthetic concept and the impressionist quality of his poetry, drama, and prose. The study discovered a considerable use of sound images and rhythmic patterns, powerful imagery, descriptive passages, and implications thus rendering euphonic, descriptive and psychological qualities of the texts under analysis respectively. By and large, the study showed Wilde’s close affinity with the French Aestheticism: rejection of morality or social values; opposition between art and reality (Art for Art’s sake), etc.