in his brilliant, irreverent essay 'The Soul of Man Under Socialism', Wilde turns an exuberantly sceptical eye on Victorian values and the institutions of property, marriage and the Church, asking us to envision instead a society made more vital through tolerance of individualism and disidence. Wilde pursues the argument for personal and artistic freedom in his essays from intentions such as the acclaimed dialogues 'The Decay of Lying' and 'The Critic as Artist', which provide witty dramatizations of his views on life and art and a profound expression of his aesthetic theory.