--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The ways in which Oscar Wilde was…" description: "\"The ways in which Oscar Wilde was attacking the Romantics that preceded him, and the Romantic ideas that preceded him, were very similar to what the gl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/189/todd-haynes-2626_attacking_the-ways-in-which-oscar-wilde-was-attack_2960744.jpg" --- # The ways in which Oscar Wilde was attacking the Romantics… ![“The ways in which Oscar Wilde was attacking the Romantics that preceded him, and the Romantic ideas that preceded him, were very similar to what the glam-rockers, particularly Bowie and Bryan Ferry, were attacking in the earnestness of '60s culture. Trying to shock, but with wit, cleverness, and…” quote by Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/189/todd-haynes-2626_attacking_the-ways-in-which-oscar-wilde-was-attack_2960744.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/189/todd-haynes-2626_attacking_the-ways-in-which-oscar-wilde-was-attack_2960744.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/189/todd-haynes-2626_attacking_the-ways-in-which-oscar-wilde-was-attack_2960744.jpg) > “The ways in which Oscar Wilde was attacking the Romantics that preceded him, and the Romantic ideas that preceded him, were very similar to what the glam-rockers, particularly Bowie and Bryan Ferry, were attacking in the earnestness of '60s culture. Trying to shock, but with wit, cleverness, and homosexuality.” [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Wilde’s critique of Romanticism parallels glam‑rock’s challenge to 1960s earnestness, using wit and sexuality. **In simple terms:** Wilde and glam‑rock both rebelled. Key Takeaway Use humor and boldness to question norms. Themes culture rebellion artistic expression Mood analytical reflective Type critical historical When to use this quote - music criticism - fashion - literary analysis Key Concepts subversion sexuality wit Questions to Reflect On - What modern movement uses wit to subvert norms? - How does sexuality enhance artistic critique? A Different Perspective Rebellion can alienate traditional audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attacking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attacking/) [Attacking Romantics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attacking-romantics-4507583/) [Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bowie/) [Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bryan/) [Cleverness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cleverness/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Earnestness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earnestness/) [Ferry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ferry/) [Glam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glam/) [Homosexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homosexuality/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Oscar wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oscar-wilde/) [Oscars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oscars/) [Rockers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rockers/) [Romantics Preceded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romantics-preceded-4507585/) [Shock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shock/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wilde/) [Wilde Attacking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wilde-attacking-4507584/) [Wit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wit/) ## Related quotes > [I've always been fond of the glam-rocker title.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-lambert/i-ve-always-been-fond-of-the-glam-rocker-title/) [Adam Lambert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-lambert/) > [I'm not ready to give up gayness in and of itself as something unique and different. A litmus test for me for all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/i-m-not-ready-to-give-up-gayness-in-and-of-itself-as-something-unique/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [What was so interesting about the glam era was that it was about bisexuality and breaking down the boundaries between gays and straights, breaking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/what-was-so-interesting-about-the-glam-era-was-that-it-was-about/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [I think that's what I love about glam-rock. It invited you to participate. It asked you to change yourself in all these different ways,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/i-think-that-s-what-i-love-about-glam-rock-it-invited-you-to/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [In my research, all roads led back to Oscar. It's definitely in a way trying to understand the truly English element to glam-rock. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/in-my-research-all-roads-led-back-to-oscar-it-s-definitely-in-a-way/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [I grew up in the suburbs of Sydney, an arid kind of place, but every day I took the ferry across the harbour to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-stephenson/i-grew-up-in-the-suburbs-of-sydney-an-arid-kind-of-place-but-every/) [Pamela Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-stephenson/) > [I always remember to go on the Staten Island Ferry because it's the most amazing view of New York. And it's free! You see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-pigott-smith/i-always-remember-to-go-on-the-staten-island-ferry-because-it-s-the/) [Tim Pigott-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-pigott-smith/) > [Many will say, "I can find God without the help of the Bible, or church, or minister." Very well. Do so if you can.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/many-will-say-i-can-find-god-without-the-help-of-the-bible-or-church/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [The waterfront without the Ferry Tower would be like a birthday cake without a candle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-caen/the-waterfront-without-the-ferry-tower-would-be-like-a-birthday-cake/) [Herb Caen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-caen/) > [“If we buy a bike, will you travel? Will you brave the ferry?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalie-marsh/if-we-buy-a-bike-will-you-travel-will-you-brave-the-ferry/) [Rosalie Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalie-marsh/) > [There's two kinds of dirty - dirty and sewer-dirty. Danny Ferry is sewer-dirty and has been ever since he was at Duke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/there-s-two-kinds-of-dirty-dirty-and-sewer-dirty-danny-ferry-is-sewer/) [Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/) > [“Enjoy the console and speed of the Road Town Fast Ferry as we acquire you from the heart of St. Thomas, Charlotte Amalie, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/road-town-fast-ferry/enjoy-the-console-and-speed-of-the-road-town-fast-ferry-as-we-acquire/) [Road Town Fast Ferry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/road-town-fast-ferry/) > [We have long had emigration in Ireland. But the nature of emigration has changed. With ferries to Britain and the continent, as well as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-robinson/we-have-long-had-emigration-in-ireland-but-the-nature-of-emigration/) [Mary Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-robinson/) > [“For all symbols are fluxional; all language is vehicular and transitive, and is good, as ferries and houses are, for conveyance, not as farms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/for-all-symbols-are-fluxional-all-language-is-vehicular-and/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [When a plane lands in the Hudson and there's a Twitter user on the ferry taking a picture of it, Boom. That's it. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/biz-stone/when-a-plane-lands-in-the-hudson-and-there-s-a-twitter-user-on-the/) [Biz Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/biz-stone/) ## More by Todd Haynes > [I had really loving parents and a happy childhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/i-had-really-loving-parents-and-a-happy-childhood/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [I don't know if I ever entertained an academic career, nor did I ever think I'd become a feature film-maker in the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/i-don-t-know-if-i-ever-entertained-an-academic-career-nor-did-i-ever/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [Feminist theory has left an indelible mark on my own critical—and creative—thinking . . . For me, everything I questioned about what it meant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/feminist-theory-has-left-an-indelible-mark-on-my-own-critical-and/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [I don't think there's any more synesthetic medium than film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/i-don-t-think-there-s-any-more-synesthetic-medium-than-film/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [I'm used to always having struggles getting finances together and keeping precarious budgets alive in the independent film world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/i-m-used-to-always-having-struggles-getting-finances-together-and/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [It's funny: I don't feel like I have any particular privileged feeling for the Fifties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/it-s-funny-i-don-t-feel-like-i-have-any-particular-privileged-feeling/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [I'm drawn to female characters; not all of them are strong characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/i-m-drawn-to-female-characters-not-all-of-them-are-strong-characters/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [Looking at photographs of New York in 1952, you find a powerfully pre-Eisenhower era - sagging, tired, distressed - and the palette is slightly dissonant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/looking-at-photographs-of-new-york-in-1952-you-find-a-powerfully-pre/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [I think many of the ideas that opened up in the '60s got implemented in the '70s and that certain minority voices that were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/i-think-many-of-the-ideas-that-opened-up-in-the-60s-got-implemented/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > ['Evil Urges' has some stuff in it that's unbelievable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/evil-urges-has-some-stuff-in-it-that-s-unbelievable/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [Films like 'The Godfather,' 'Chinatown' and 'The Exorcist' brought a realism and currency and understatement to their genres that we wanted for 'Mildred Pierce.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/films-like-the-godfather-chinatown-and-the-exorcist-brought-a-realism/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [There were interesting ways that queerness could hide out and get played out pre-Stonewall. It is part of a vast history that is getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/there-were-interesting-ways-that-queerness-could-hide-out-and-get/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [It's very funny because every time I make a movie, and I've heard this re-echoed by other filmmakers and actors I have worked with,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/it-s-very-funny-because-every-time-i-make-a-movie-and-i-ve-heard-this/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [What was so interesting about the glam era was that it was about bisexuality and breaking down the boundaries between gays and straights, breaking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/what-was-so-interesting-about-the-glam-era-was-that-it-was-about/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [My films have often looked at the whole dilemma of identity as a straitjacket for people, for societies, for cultures, for historical moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/my-films-have-often-looked-at-the-whole-dilemma-of-identity-as-a/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) [Explore all 157 Todd Haynes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) ## More Attacking quotes > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Attack the evil that is within yourself, rather than attacking the evil that is in others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/attack-the-evil-that-is-within-yourself-rather-than-attacking-the/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Wine is the first weapon that devils use in attacking the young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-jerome/wine-is-the-first-weapon-that-devils-use-in-attacking-the-young/) [St. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-jerome/) > [Let a man who has to make his fortune in life remember this maxim: Attacking is the only secret. Dare and the world yields,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/let-a-man-who-has-to-make-his-fortune-in-life-remember-this-maxim/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [I've gotten better at calling out coverages, communication, and being vertical when they're attacking me in the paint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivica-zubac/i-ve-gotten-better-at-calling-out-coverages-communication-and-being/) [Ivica Zubac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivica-zubac/) > [Before I signed for Liverpool, I was playing for Newcastle as a No. 10 - basically, I was always attacking. I didn't have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georginio-wijnaldum/before-i-signed-for-liverpool-i-was-playing-for-newcastle-as-a-no-10/) [Georginio Wijnaldum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georginio-wijnaldum/) > [It's a big part of my game, attacking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-walker/it-s-a-big-part-of-my-game-attacking/) [Kyle Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-walker/) > [When I was elected governor of my state, I had a legislature 87 percent Democrat. It was not lost on me that to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/when-i-was-elected-governor-of-my-state-i-had-a-legislature-87/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [Positive thinking is so firmly enshrined in our culture that knocking it is a little like attacking motherhood or apple pie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/srikumar-rao/positive-thinking-is-so-firmly-enshrined-in-our-culture-that-knocking/) [Srikumar Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/srikumar-rao/) > [This is really good,” Donovan Caine said, attacking his third strawberry pancake. “You sound surprised,” I said. He shrugged. “I just didn’t think an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-estep/this-is-really-good-donovan-caine-said-attacking-his-third-strawberry/) [Jennifer Estep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-estep/) > [Dravid Could play attacking cricket like me but i could never play like him](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-gayle/dravid-could-play-attacking-cricket-like-me-but-i-could-never-play/) [Chris Gayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-gayle/) > [Islamic fundamentalism is attacking us at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marine-le-pen/islamic-fundamentalism-is-attacking-us-at-home/) [Marine Le Pen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marine-le-pen/) > [“California cat that chased off attacking”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/california-cat-that-chased-off-attacking/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I listen to candidates spend all their time attacking Barack Obama, I'm glad they're not driving this bus because they'd be looking through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/when-i-listen-to-candidates-spend-all-their-time-attacking-barack/) [John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) > [For many years the stakes were clear. There were the Arabs attacking us and us defending ourselves, so basically there were no real problems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/for-many-years-the-stakes-were-clear-there-were-the-arabs-attacking/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) [Browse all 580 Attacking quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attacking/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The ways in which Oscar Wilde was attacking the Romantics that preceded him, and the Romantic ideas that preceded him, were very similar to what the glam-rockers, particularly Bowie and Bryan Ferry, were attacking in the earnestness of '60s culture. 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