The Decay of Lying is an essay written by Oscar Wilde, first published in 1889. The essay is a dialogue between two characters, Vivian and Cyril, who discuss the nature of art and its relationship to life. Vivian argues that art should not be a reflection of life, but rather a representation of the artist's own imagination and ideals. He believes that lying, or creating a fictional world, is the essence of art. Cyril, on the other hand, argues that art should be based on reality and should reflect the world as it is. The essay explores the themes of aestheticism, art for art's sake, and the importance of beauty in art. Wilde uses his wit and humor to challenge traditional notions of art and to advocate for a more imaginative and creative approach to artistic expression. The Decay of Lying is considered one of Wilde's most important essays and a key text in the development of the aesthetic movement. VIVIAN. Please don't interrupt in the middle of a sentence. ""He either falls into careless habits of accuracy, or takes to frequenting the society of the aged and the wellinformed. Both things are equally fatal to his imagination, as indeed they would be fatal to the imagination of anybody, and in a short time he develops a morbid and unhealthy faculty of truthtelling, begins to verify all statements made in his presence. This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.