The Picture of Dorian Gray

Oscar Wilde

The Picture of Dorian Gray

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Welcome to The Picture of Dorian Gray

Information about the author, the story and the historical period.

Brief descriptions of the main characters.

The text with cultural details, brief summaries and glossary.

Pre-reading activities.

A wide variety of activities covering Cambridge Exam Certificates, State exams, 21st Century Skills and 2030 Agenda topics.

A final test to check what you remember.

A transcript of one of the most important scenes from the story to act out together in class.

Oscar Wilde

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Retold

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle The Sign of the Four

E. Gaskell, K. Chopin, K. Mansfield, V. Woolf, E.Wharton Portraits of Women

Robert Louis Stevenson The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Geoffrey Chaucer The Canterbury Tales

Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice

Lewis Carroll Alice in Wonderland

Oscar Wilde The Canterville Ghost

H.G. Wells, G. Orwell, E.A. Poe, S.O. Jewett, V. Woolf One Planet, One Goal

Mary Shelley Frankenstein

George Orwell Animal Farm

K. Mansfield, J. Joyce, O. Wilde, R. Tagore, M. Twain Tales of Friendship

Charlotte Brontë Jane Eyre

Oscar Wilde The Picture of Dorian Gray

H.G. Wells The Time Machine

Series Editors Paola Accattoli, Grazia Ancillani

Art Director Daniele Garbuglia

Graphic Design Emilia Coari

Production Manager Francesco Capitano

Photo Credits Shutterstock, Alamy

© 2023 ELi, Gruppo editoriale ELi Printed

22.83.266.0

ENG015-01

ISBN 978-88-536-3979-0

www.gruppoeli.it

Oscar Wilde: Life and Work

Quick facts

Name: Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde

Born: Dublin, Ireland on October 16, 1854

Died: in Paris, France on November 30, 1900 (aged 46)

Nationality: Irish

Married to: Constance Lloyd

Children: two sons - Cyril and Vyvyan

Education: Classics* at Trinity College, Dublin and Magdalen College, Oxford

Key works: The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), Lady Windermere’s Fan (1892), The Importance of Being Earnest (1895)

classics (n.pl.) the study of ancient Greek and Latin literature, philosophy, and history

Now the Oscar Wilde Centre, at Trinity College, Dublin, where students study Irish and creative writing.

Early Life

Born at 21 Westland Row in Dublin', he was the second child of William Wilde, an important ear and eye surgeon* and writer, and Jane Francesca Elgee, a journalist and poet, who wrote under the name ‘Speranza’. Their large and frequent parties attracted important people from Dublin society. There were plenty of opportunities to learn, but Oscar’s parents’ relationship made home life difficult. His father was often depressed, and had frequent extra-marital* affairs. This eventually led to a public scandal and a court case against him. His wife supported him throughout the trial, while he refused to speak in his own defence, making people think he was a coward.

Education

Despite being good at languages, Oscar didn’t learn to speak Irish like his father. He was home-schooled, before being sent away to study at Portora Royal School in Enniskillen with his elder brother Willie. An excellent student, Oscar got a scholarship* to study classics at Trinity College, Dublin, and another to Magdalen College, Oxford.

He did well at Oxford University, winning many prizes like the Newdigate Prize for his long poem, Ravenna (1878). He also became involved in the Aesthetic Movement, developing his character as a poseur* and a wit*. He grew his hair long, wore flamboyant* clothes, surrounded himself with beautiful things, constantly entertained his friends and made witty epigrams*.

These included W.B.Yeats’s father and grandfather, and George Bernard Shaw’s father.

This was around the time of his father’s trial, and history would later repeat itself in Oscar’s own life.

The Aesthetic Movement in 1880s England believed in ‘art for art's sake’ not art to teach us right from wrong.

surgeon (n.) a doctor who operates on people in hospital extra-marital outside marriage scholarship (n.) money given to a clever student to study poseur (n.) person who shows he thinks a lot of himself wit (n.) someone who uses words in a funny and clever way flamboyant (adj.) attracting attention usually in a bright, colourful way that you notice epigram (n.) expressing ideas in a short, clever and amusing way

You can never be overdressed or overeducated.

Work and Personal Life

Poems, Wilde's first collection of poetry, was published* in 1881. After two lecture* trips on art and beauty to North America, he gave lectures in Britain about his travel experiences.

On May 29, 1884, Oscar married Constance Lloyd, daughter of a rich lawyer, and herself an author and a political activist*. They had two sons, Cyril (1885) and Vyvyan (1886). During this period Wilde worked as a newspaper journalist, as the editor* of Woman's World magazine, and published three collections of short stories, including The Happy Prince and Other Tales (1888). The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), Wilde’s only novel*, was attacked because of its ideas. Among his most successful work were four society comedies* for the theatre: Lady Windermere's Fan (1892), A Woman of No Importance (1893), An Ideal Husband (1895), and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895).

People were shocked by the Faustian character Dorian Gray, who sells his soul to the devil for youth and beauty.

publish (v.) write and sell something that people want to read, watch or play lecture (n.) talking about something in front of an audience activist (n.) a person who tries to bring about political or social change editor (n.) a person who corrects a book, newspaper or magazine novel (n.) a long, invented story comedy (n.) a film, play, or TV programme, which is supposed to make an audience laugh

It is thought that Constance actually helped Oscar write these stories.

Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell the truth.

Scandal, Prison and Death

At the height of his success, Wilde was having secret relationships with men. When he met Bosie, Lord Alfred Douglas, his father, the Marquis of Queensberry, accused him of homosexuality*, which was illegal at the time. Wilde lost a libel case* against him and was sent to prison for two years of hard labour. There, he wrote The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898), about his terrible life in prison and a long letter to Bosie, published posthumously as De Profundis in 1905. He died penniless* in Paris on 30 November 1900.

Homosexuality was only made legal in 1967 in England and Wales, for men over the age of 21.

The title comes from Latin and means ‘from the depths’. It is a kind of love letter.

homosexuality (n.) being attracted to someone of the same sex libel case (n.) when court decides if something written about someone is true or not penniless (n.) without any money

Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes.

Sibyl Vane is a beautiful actress, who Dorian falls in love with when he sees her on stage.

Characters

Dorian Gray is a beautiful young man who would do anything to always stay the same.

James Vane is Sibyl’s younger, rougher brother, who becomes a sailor.

Basil Hallward is an artist who paints the picture of Dorian Gray, his best ever work.

Alan Campbell is a young scientist who is forced to help Dorian Gray although he doesn’t want to.

Lady Agatha is Lord Henry’s rich aristocratic aunt.

Lord George Fermor is Lord Henry’s rich, bad-tempered uncle.

Lady Victoria Wotton is Lord Henry’s wife, with whom he seems to spend very little time.

Lord Henry (Harry) Wotton is a young aristocrat who shows a lot of interest in Dorian Gray.

Writing

1 What do you know about The Picture of Dorian Gray?

The Picture of Dorian Gray is a book by Oscar Wilde. It was written in _______________________

The story is set in ____________________________

It is a story about ___________________________________________ .

The people in the story are ____________________________________________________________________ .

It is a _________________________________________________________ book.

2 Match these words with their opposites.

g artificial

1 attractive

2 bright

3 deep

4 dull

a wrinkled

b vulgar

c vain

d shabby

e shallow

f rough-mannered 6 humble

5 elegant

g real 7 polite

j dim

Reading – Gap Fill

3 Use the words and expressions in the box to help complete the character profiles.

actress aristocrat x 2 artist attractive blond dark elegant heavy intelligent lovely pale sailor scientist serious seventeen short sixteen strong twenty twenty-five x 3 young

1 Name: Job: Age: about Appearance: and

2 Name: Job: Age: about Appearance: and

3 Name: Job: Age: about Appearance: and

4 Name: Job: Age: about Appearance: and

5 Name: Job:

Age: about Appearance: and

6

Name: Job:

Age: about Appearance: and

Writing – Describing

4 Write sentences about the characters in exercise 3. Use the adjectives from exercise 2 to help you.

Lexical Groups

5 Put these words in the correct group. Some can go in more than one group.

act audience box cast canvas clap costume comedy dressing-room easel exhibit opera make-up musician paint portrait play scene sitter stage studio scenery song spectator studio theatre tragedy

DRAMA