What does the preface of The Picture of Dorian Gray mean? Oscar Wilde's preface to The Picture of Dorian Gray consists of
a list of Wilde's aphorisms that deal directly with art, artists, critics, and audience but only obliquely with the novel
. They speak to the importance of beauty espoused by the Aesthetic movement.
Why did Oscar Wilde write the preface?
Can we believe what we read on the surface? Is Oscar Wilde really being serious here? He was initially criticized for creating an immoral work that must have revealed his immorality. So he added the preface
as a “statement” about Art is more essential than the Artist
.
What is the message in The Picture of Dorian Gray?
The story tells readers about its protagonist, Dorian Gray's life, which was full of
immorality and corruption as a result of seeking outward beauty and pleasure
. However, this longing is the beginning of his tragedy, the corruption of his soul, and the destruction of his life.
Why did Oscar Wilde add a preface to The Picture of Dorian Gray?
This Preface was Wilde's first substantial addition to the story as it appeared in Lippincott's Magazine. It was partly inserted
to anticipate and rebut some of the accusations of ‘immorality' that Dorian Gray had already attracted in its earlier form
.
Why was The Picture of Dorian Gray controversial?
The Picture of Dorian Gray was
considered homoerotic and suggestive
. Many critics, including the Daily Chronicle on June 30, 1890 said that there is, “one element which will taint every young mind that comes in contact with it.
What is Dorian Gray Syndrome?
Dorian Gray Syndrome (DGS) denotes a cultural and societal phenomenon characterized by an excessive preoccupation with the individual's own appearance (dysmorphophobia) accompanied by difficulties coping with the aging process and with the requirements of maturation.
How did Dorian Gray sell his soul?
The legend tells of a learned doctor who sells his soul to the devil in return for knowledge and magical abilities. Although Dorian Gray never contracts with the devil, his sacrifice is similar:
he trades his soul for the luxury of eternal youth
.
Why does Dorian destroy the painting?
The portrait reflects this hypocrisy and drives him to his final, desperate act. He decides
it is better to destroy the last evidence of his sin—the painting of his soul—than face up to his own depravity
. The depravity he seeks to destroy is, in essence, himself; therefore, by killing it, he kills himself.
When did Oscar Wilde write the preface to The Picture of Dorian Gray?
The preface was first published in the
April 1891
edition of the novel; nonetheless, by June 1891, Wilde was defending The Picture of Dorian Gray against accusations that it was a bad book.
Is The Picture of Dorian Gray satire?
A satire of Victorian society
, Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray ridicules the attention to social status that often precludes love. Rather curiously, Wilde's work was used against him as a work that was serious and straightforward rather than satirical in order to substantiate Wilde's deviant behavior.
What is the difference between Basil and Lord Henry?
Basil is an artist whose best work stems from a passion for a young man whom he sees as a “Prince of Life.” Lord Henry is a conversationalist who cuts life to pieces with his epigrams
(97).
Does Dorian kiss Basil in the book?
Instead of subtly leading Basil to his confession,
Dorian steers the conversation away by kissing Basil
, who eventually gives in to his passion and succumbs to a sexual encounter.
Are Basil and Dorian in love?
While there is evidence in the text that suggests Basil has romantic feelings towards Dorian, it is also possible to read this evidence as them simply being friends. I believe Wilde did this intentionally, as during the fin de siècle, “acts of gross indecency between men were criminalized” (Ledger and Luckhurst xviii).
What is the last line of The Picture of Dorian Gray?
Once, some one who had terribly loved him had written to him a mad letter, ending with these idolatrous words: “
The world is changed because you are made of ivory and gold. The curves of your lips rewrite history.”
The phrases came back to his memory, and he repeated them over and over to himself.
Is Dorian Gray a psychopath?
Just as Count Dracula as a key index case of a criminal paraphiliac,
Dorian, based on the contemporary diagnostic criteria and forensic standards, is arguably the first known instance, fictive or otherwise, of a primary psychopath
.
Was Dorian Gray a narcissist?
Dorian Gray shows great vanity throughout his life and prizes his perfect beauty above all else.
Gray's narcissistic obsession with his beauty
compels him to be willing to even trade his soul for eternal youth.
Why does Dorian hide the portrait in the attic?
Dorian
seals his commitment to a life of vanity and debauchery
when he hides and locks the portrait in the attic schoolroom. He rationalizes that he might, in fact, become more virtuous and reverse the moral decay reflected in the picture, but even he seems to know that will never happen.
Why does Dorian Gray not age?
Immortality:
After having his soul trapped within a painting, Dorian gained immortality
. He does not age and seems to be immune to all conventional illnesses, diseases, viruses and infections.
What does Lord Henry symbolize?
He is clever, charming, and eloquent. One can argue that he represents
the devil
, drawing a parallel to Faust by his beguiling manner.
Why does Lord Henry manipulate Dorian?
While Dorian's influence over Basil was unintended, Lord Henry's intentional manipulation has drastic consequences for Dorian. Because
to influence a person is to give him one's own soul
. He does not think his natural thoughts, or burn with his natural passions. His virtues are not real to him.
Does Dorian regret killing Basil?
They agree to meet the next morning. Back home, Dorian wonders if he will ever really change. He reflects on Basil's death and Alan Campbell's suicide, but
what really bothers him is the death of his own soul
. He rationalizes that Basil painted the damaging portrait and said “unbearable” things to Dorian.
Who does Dorian Gray fall in love with?
Nassar remarks, “In his new thirst for sensations, Dorian's first action is to fall in love with
Sibyl Vane
” (362). The fact that Dorian falls in love with her at a time when he is seeking adventure, excitement, and passion, betrays that his love for her is not based on reality.
What does Dorian's death mean?
The idea here is that nobody can get away with everything; even though Dorian thought that he could dodge earthly punishment and go about his evil business by destroying the portrait (the proof of how vile and corrupt he really was), his death actually comes as
a kind of divine retribution for all of his crimes
.
Is Dorian Gray LGBT?
Dorian Gray, while cautious, was implicitly homosexual
, and the hugely successful plays contained coded references that were obvious to the initiated. His poetry and public comments were often more explicit.
How is Dorian Gray ironic?
Dorian suggest that Basil was murdered, This is Dramatic Irony because
we the readers know that Dorian murdered him but the rest of the characters don't
. This is Ironic because lord Henry thinks only the lower class could do such a horrible thing like murder but Dorian,one of the wealthiest has committed murder.
Was Dorian Gray an orphan?
Dorian is also an orphan
and grew up living with his grandfather. He certainly has not forgotten about his childhood, for “[h]e [winces] at the mention of his grandfather.
What era was Dorian Gray written in?
Read a brief summary of this topic
The Picture of Dorian Gray, moral fantasy novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde, published in an early form in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine in
1890
. The novel, the only one written by Wilde, had six additional chapters when it was released as a book in 1891.
What is Basil's secret?
Basil tries to keep the painting's subject's identity a secret from Lord Henry, then accidentally discloses that
the beautiful young man's name is Dorian Gray
. Basil admits that he prefers to keep favorite people to himself, not even telling others their names because he feels he might lose a part of them.
Who is responsible for Dorian Gray's downfall?
Dorian's inner secrets and weakness of mind
becomes his downfall. In this novel Dorian Gray's apparent perfection is destroyed by his weakness of mind and naiiveness, which becomes the downfall of his soul as his mind is opened to sin and Hedonism by Lord Henry Wotton.
Does Lord Henry love Dorian Gray?
On the other hand, as Dorian Gray becomes obsessed with Lord Henry's worldview, he develops a deep attachment to his friend. The relationships between the three characters are more than just friendship; however,
it is difficult to claim they are intimate
.
Why is Dorian obsessed with the Yellow Book?
“The yellow book” has a much stronger effect on Dorian Gray's perception of beauty than Lord Henry Wotton does. Although it can be argued that Lord Henry introduced Dorian to the idea of aestheticism,
the “yellow book” drives Dorian to live a life full of it, and changes his focus.
How does Dorian say Basil died?
Glancing at his picture, Dorian feels hatred welling up within him. He
seizes a knife and stabs Basil repeatedly
. He then opens the door and listens for the sound of anyone stirring. When he is satisfied that no one has heard the murder, he locks the room and returns to the library.
What does Basil confess to Dorian?
Basil confesses that
he was worried that the painting would reveal his obsession with Dorian
. Now, however, Basil believes that the painting, like all art, “conceals the artist far more completely than it ever reveals him.” Basil again asks Dorian to sit for him, and Dorian again refuses.
What does Basil Hallward symbolize?
The character Basil Hallward represents
Oscar Wilde's own homosexual alter ego
. the part of his personality that admires and is attracted to beautiful men. Basil also represents the artist in Wilde and conveys his opinions on beauty and this aesthetic movement in art.
How old is Dorian Gray at the end of the book?
Basil explains that Dorian Gray is
20 years-old
. Basil met him at a party two months earlier. When Basil first saw him, he felt a “curious sensation of terror”. He was certain that the young man's personality would dominate him and that he would lose his independence.
What crimes did Dorian Gray commit?
As the novel progresses, Gray becomes increasingly immoral, indulging in all manner of vices, eventually including the
murder of the portrait-painter
. Gray only ends the split by plunging a knife into the painting and killing himself.
