Book Review
The Picture of Dorian Gray “Behind every exquisite thing that existed, there was something tragic.” Adriel Comissiong
Connor, Michell. “Flicker Photos on Flickr.” Flickr, Yahoo!, 30 Jan. 2024, www.flickr.com/photos/tags/flicker/.
Introduction “The only excuse for making a useless thing is that one admires it intensely. All art is quite useless”(Wilde,1). These were the last two sentences of the preface of the Picture of Dorian Gray. This statement wants to question your beliefs that art does not make you feel any emotion, that you are only supposed to admire it or it is useless and shouldn't exist, which dives into the very essence of this book. The Picture of Dorian Gray, written by Oscar Wilde and released in July 1890, was one of the most groundbreaking novels of its day. This work explores issues such as superficial beauty, the corruption of innocence, and harmful influences, leaving the reader intrigued and wanting more. This novel is set in late-nineteenth-century London and begins with an artist's painting and a prayer from a naive youth, which causes the picture and the novel to take on a life of its own.
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About the author
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Oscar Wilde was born on October 16, 1854 in Dublin, Ireland, and died on November 30, 1900 in Paris, France. Wilde was born to writers and professionals. His father, Sir William Wilde, was Ireland's leading ear and eye surgeon who also produced books on archaeology and folklore. Speranza, his mother, was a revolutionary poet and expert on Celtic mythology. From 1864 to 1871, Wilde attended Portora Royal School in Enniskillen, then Trinity College in Dublin (1871-74), and Magdalen College in Oxford (1874-78), where he graduated with honors. Through that time he established himself as a poet, winning the coveted Newdigate Prize with a poem called Ravenna in 1878. In 1884, Wilde married Constance Lloyd, the daughter of a prominent Irish barrister. Later he published The Happy Prince and Other Tales (1888) during his writing apprenticeship. Finally, in The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde merged Gothic qualities with French decadent fiction.
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Literary Elements
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The picture itself, which is one of the novel's central plot points, is explored in depth in the title, The Picture of Dorian Gray. The depiction gradually shifts both physically and morally as Dorian Gray's inner corruption and weaknesses are revealed throughout the book. Oscar Wilde examines the tension between appearance and reality in two pictures both in the book's title and throughout the novel. In a literal sense, the first portrait was created by Basil Hallward. The other portrait has greater meaning. It is a reflection of the private, inner side of Dorian that is guarded from the public eye. Dorian's struggle with moral and physical deterioration is evident in his changing image.
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One recurring instance that is shown throughout the novel is that of symbolism . Opium dens are one type of symbolism employed in the text, as stated in chapter 16 “There were opium dens where one could buy oblivion”(167, Wiled). The opium dens, situated in an isolated and abandoned area of London, stand in for Dorian's depraved mental state. He runs to them at a critical juncture. Dorian kills Basil in an attempt to put his horrible deeds behind him by going into a drug-induced coma. Despite owning a canister of opium at home, he ventures out of the security of his tidy parlor to visit the shadowy dens that symbolize the disintegration of his soul. Another aspect of the symbolism found in the novel is James Vane. Sibyl's brother James swears to exact revenge on Dorian for driving his sister to take her own life. He exists primarily for the narrative's sake to haunt Dorian. Dorian's lack of a strong moral inner voice causes the ugly consequences of his actions to become apparent in his surroundings. James is a metaphor for the guilt Dorian ought to experience in this fashion. Finally, the last aspect of symbolism found in this novel is the Yellow Book. Lord Henry presents Dorian with a copy of the yellow book as a present. Wilde defines the book as a French novel that recounts the extraordinary experiences of
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its pleasure-seeking protagonist, however, he never reveals the title. Dorian regards the book as holy scripture, purchasing nearly a dozen copies and basing his life and deeds on it. This is corroborated further in Chapter 11, which states,“ for years Dorian could not free himself from this book. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that he never sought to free himself from it.”(116, Wiled). Overall, the book portrays the great and deadly power that art can have on a person, and it serves as a warning to those who would completely succumb to such an influence.
Finally, one of the novel's most prominent themes is the superiority of youth and beauty. The first principle of aestheticism, Oscar Wilde's art philosophy, is that art has no other function than to provide beauty. Beauty reigns supreme throughout The Picture of Dorian Gray. It is a means of reviving tired senses, as evidenced by the effect Basil's painting had on the cynical Lord Henry. It is also a technique of escaping the world's brutalities: by devoting himself to the study of beautiful things, Dorian isolates himself, not to mention his consciousness, from the horrors of his acts. Youth and physical attractiveness become important commodities in a society that values beauty so highly. Lord Henry reminds Dorian of this during their first meeting, lamenting that Dorian will soon lose his most valuable characteristics. The Duchess of Monmouth hints to Lord Henry in Chapter Seventeen that he lays too much significance on these things; indeed, Dorian's eventual demise validates her worries. Although beauty and vitality are still important at the end of the story the portrait returned to its original form. The novel implies that the price one must pay for them is exorbitant. Dorian, in fact, gives his soul. A secondary theme presented in this novel is the theme focusing on the effects of negative influences. Dorian is profoundly affected by the artwork and the yellow book, which influence him to mostly unethical behavior throughout the span of nearly two decades. Lord Henry, reflecting on Dorian's power over Basil and determining
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that he would like to lure Dorian in much the same way, remarks that there is "something terribly enthralling in the exercise of influence." Although succumbing to such influence may be inescapable, the story eventually condemns the sacrifice of oneself for the sake of another. Basil's worship of Dorian leads to his death, and Dorian's commitment to Lord Henry's hedonism and the yellow book leads to his own demise.
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Plot The story opens with the young Dorian Gray and the artist Basil Halward. Telling the friend Lord Harry Henry how much he has adored the young man ever since they met, he regularly persuades him to sit for his paintings. In which he has created some of his best artwork. Basil has become obsessed with the youth
“Every day. I wouldn't be happy if I didn't see him every day. He is absolutely necessary to me” (Wilde,13)
Lord Henry becomes increasingly interested in the youth, but Basil is reluctant to introduce him to Harry for fear of corrupting his innocence. It turns out that Basil was right. Lord Henry upsets Dorian by saying that youth and beauty are fleeting, which validates Basil's concerns about corruption. Dorian curses his painting, believing it will one day remind him of the beauty he will have lost. In anguish, he vows with his soul if only the picture could bear the weight of age and disgrace, allowing him to remain forever young.
“ If it were only the other way! If it were I who was to always be young and the picture was to grow old! For that- for that- I would give everything! Yes, there is nothing in a whole new world I would not give! I would give my soul for that!” (Wilde,27)
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After this encounter, Lord Henry's influence grows stronger over the youth and now follows "New Hedonism '' which promotes a life devoted to the pursuit of pleasure. He falls in love with Sibyl Vane, a young actress who works in a London slum theater. At first, he was enamored by her beauty and her acting, so he proposed to her and invited his friends to watch her perform. After the performance, Dorian is in a fit of rage because she did not act well, when he goes to meet her after the performance she declares that she can not act anymore because she is so in love with him and he cancels their engagement, and because of that Sylbil commits suicide.
“ I would have made you famous, splendid, magnificent. The world would have worshiped you, and you would have borne my name. What do you know? A third-rate actress with a pretty face.” (Wilde, 81)
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Dorain's portrait begins to shift due to his soul's corruption. After this Lord Henry gives Dorian a book on a nineteenth-century Frenchman's horrible exploits; it becomes Dorian's bible as he sinks more into a life of crime and debauchery. Dorian's reputation in London society suffers eighteen years later. When Basil arrives at Dorian's residence to inquire about the reports, Dorian shows him the now-horrible image, and Hallward begs him to repent before Dorian murders him in a fit of rage.
“Though your sins may be scarlet, yet I will make them white as snow”( Wilde, 143)
To dispose of the body, Dorian enlists the services of an estranged friend, a doctor whom he blackmails. The night after the murder, Dorian visits an opium den, where he meets James Vane, who seeks to avenge Sibyl's death. Dorian retreats to his country estate. While entertaining friends, he spots James Vane peeping in through a window and is overcome by fear and remorse. When a hunting group mistakenly shoots and kills Vane, Dorian feels safer. Later, he resolves to alter his life but lacks the courage to confess his crimes. Anger rising, Dorian attempts to sever the picture with the dagger he used to murder Basil. His servants discover the painting of Dorian Gray as a youth again and find their master's body. With a knife piercing his heart, he was now a scarred and wrinkled old man.
“Lying on the floor was a dead man in evening dress, with a knife in his heart. He was withered, wrinkled and had a loathsome visage. It was not till they had examined the rings that they recognized who it was”(Wilde, 203)
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Conclusion
Overall, “The Picture of Dorian Gray” was a fascinating story to read. One of the novel's strongest points was the author's approach to the themes of innocence and beauty. I particularly love how the author depicts the protagonist's moral degeneration and how the portrait reflects that change in him, as well as how he deals with that knowledge. One flaw I noticed when reading this story was that there was little detail about the setting other than the reader knowing it takes place in London. This may be due in part to the details that focus more on Dorian's moral degeneration and how it affects others around him. This work will have a long-lasting impact on me and anybody else who reads it because of the emphasis it places on art and the perspective on youth and beauty and how that may corrupt others which is a universal topic still in today's world. If I were to recommend this work to a friend, I would tell them that the finale is not what you anticipate it to be and Oscar Wilde’s writing lets you dive deep into the story, immersing yourself in the characters and experiencing the story on a whole new level.
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Works Cited Beckson, Karl. “Oscar Wilde.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 26 Nov. 2023, www.britannica.com/biography/Oscar-Wilde. Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. Penguin, 2008.
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