--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Miss Prism: Do not speak slightingly of…" description: "\"Miss Prism: Do not speak slightingly of the three-volume novel, Cecily. I wrote one myself in earlier days. Cecily: Did you really, Miss Prism? How won..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/453/oscar-wilde-16_books_miss-prism-do-not-speak-slightingly-of-t_1156246.jpg" --- # Miss Prism: Do not speak slightingly of the three-volume… ![“Miss Prism: Do not speak slightingly of the three-volume novel, Cecily. I wrote one myself in earlier days. Cecily: Did you really, Miss Prism? How wonderfully clever you are! I hope it did not end happily? I don't like novels that end happily. They depress me so much. Miss Prism: The good ended…” quote by Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/453/oscar-wilde-16_books_miss-prism-do-not-speak-slightingly-of-t_1156246.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/453/oscar-wilde-16_books_miss-prism-do-not-speak-slightingly-of-t_1156246.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/453/oscar-wilde-16_books_miss-prism-do-not-speak-slightingly-of-t_1156246.jpg) > “Miss Prism: Do not speak slightingly of the three-volume novel, Cecily. I wrote one myself in earlier days. Cecily: Did you really, Miss Prism? How wonderfully clever you are! I hope it did not end happily? I don't like novels that end happily. They depress me so much. Miss Prism: The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what fiction means.” [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fiction should balance happy and sad outcomes to reflect life's complexity. **In simple terms:** Stories need both joy and sorrow. Key Takeaway Embrace mixed endings. Themes literature balance emotion Mood reflective analytical Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - writing critique - personal preference - reading habits Key Concepts narrative structure human experience Questions to Reflect On - Do you prefer stories that resolve positively? - How do mixed endings affect your mood? A Different Perspective Some readers may find sad endings unsatisfying. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Cecily Wrote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cecily-wrote-3290687/) [Clever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clever/) [Depressing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depressing/) [End Happily](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-happily-595048/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-means-280034/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Missing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/missing/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Novel Cecily](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel-cecily-3290686/) [Novels End](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novels-end-595047/) [Prisms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prisms/) [Speak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speak/) [Three](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three/) [Volume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/volume/) ## Related quotes > [I don't like novels that end happily. They depress me so much](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-don-t-like-novels-that-end-happily-they-depress-me-so-much/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“I hope it did not end happily? I don't like novels that end happily. They depress me so much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-hope-it-did-not-end-happily-i-don-t-like-novels-that-end-happily/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“the good end happily, the bad end unhappily -- that is what 'fiction' means.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-good-end-happily-the-bad-end-unhappily-that-is-what-fiction-means/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what fiction means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-good-ended-happily-and-the-bad-unhappily-that-is-what-fiction/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [There are novels that end well, but in between there are human beings acting like human beings. And human beings are not perfect. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/there-are-novels-that-end-well-but-in-between-there-are-human-beings/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [The older books were quite light-hearted. But I think most of my novels do end on a deep note of pessimism. Shadows seem to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-prawer-jhabvala/the-older-books-were-quite-light-hearted-but-i-think-most-of-my/) [Ruth Prawer Jhabvala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-prawer-jhabvala/) > [“All romantic novels end the same way, but it's the process of getting there that provides all the enjoyment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candice-hern/all-romantic-novels-end-the-same-way-but-it-s-the-process-of-getting/) [Candice Hern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candice-hern/) > [Miss Prism: And you do not seem to realize, dear Doctor, that by persistently remaining single, a man converts himself into a permanent public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/miss-prism-and-you-do-not-seem-to-realize-dear-doctor-that-by/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Miss Prism: ... And you do not seem to reealize, dear Doctor, that by persistently remaining single, a man coverts himself into a permanent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/miss-prism-and-you-do-not-seem-to-reealize-dear-doctor-that-by/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Prism! Where is that baby?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/prism-where-is-that-baby/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“If creative fiction writing is a process of translating an abstraction into the concrete, there are three possible grades of such writing: translating an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/if-creative-fiction-writing-is-a-process-of-translating-an/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Writing fiction means putting a lot of what you believe about the world at risk, because you have to follow your characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-klay/writing-fiction-means-putting-a-lot-of-what-you-believe-about-the/) [Phil Klay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-klay/) > [For me, the term "literary fiction" means there's always attention paid to language, and linguistic experimentation, sophistication.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-russell/for-me-the-term-literary-fiction-means-there-s-always-attention-paid/) [Karen Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-russell/) > [Science fiction has always been a means for political comment. H.G. Wells' 'The War of the Worlds' wasn't about a Martian invasion - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/science-fiction-has-always-been-a-means-for-political-comment-h-g/) [Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/) > [“Being a writer of 'literary fiction' means going on and on about something long after the reader has gotten the idea. ...Dan Ahearn”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ahearn/being-a-writer-of-literary-fiction-means-going-on-and-on-about/) [Dan Ahearn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ahearn/) ## More by Oscar Wilde > [How else but through a broken heart may Lord Christ enter in?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/how-else-but-through-a-broken-heart-may-lord-christ-enter-in/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [The books that the world calls immoral are the books that show the world its own shame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-books-that-the-world-calls-immoral-are-the-books-that-show-the/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Bachelors should be heavily taxed. It is not fair that some men should be happier than others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/bachelors-should-be-heavily-taxed-it-is-not-fair-that-some-men-should/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Who, being loved, is poor?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/who-being-loved-is-poor/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Basil my dear boy puts everything that is charming in him into his work. The consequence is that he has nothing left for life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/basil-my-dear-boy-puts-everything-that-is-charming-in-him-into-his/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Anybody can be good in the country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/anybody-can-be-good-in-the-country/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [I don't at all like knowing what people say of me behind my back. It makes me far too conceited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-don-t-at-all-like-knowing-what-people-say-of-me-behind-my-back-it/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Alles Populäre ist falsch.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/alles-popul-re-ist-falsch/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“If these elements of beauty are real, the whole thing simply appeals to our sense of dramatic effect. Suddenly we find that we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/if-these-elements-of-beauty-are-real-the-whole-thing-simply-appeals/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [To love one's self is the beginning of a life-long romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/to-love-one-s-self-is-the-beginning-of-a-life-long-romance/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/those-who-find-beautiful-meanings-in-beautiful-things-are-the/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Men always want to be a womans first love. Women have a more subtle instinct: What they like is to be a mans last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/men-always-want-to-be-a-womans-first-love-women-have-a-more-subtle/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Why is it that at a bachelor's establishment the servants invariably drink the champagne.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/why-is-it-that-at-a-bachelor-s-establishment-the-servants-invariably/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Moderation is a fatal thing. Enough is as bad as a meal. More than enough is as good as a feast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/moderation-is-a-fatal-thing-enough-is-as-bad-as-a-meal-more-than/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Beauty is the only thing that time cannot harm. Philosophies fall away like sand, creeds follow one another, but what is beautiful is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/beauty-is-the-only-thing-that-time-cannot-harm-philosophies-fall-away/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) [Explore all 3,343 Oscar Wilde quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. 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