Personal sentiment of the image of Dorian Grey and how the writer Oscar Wilde depicted himself in the novel. This essay reads the novel from several facets include “ beauty and art ” point of position of Wilde, the connexion between the novel and the societal background and how the writer lives his ain life in the novel.
Cardinal words: aestheticism, Victoria epoch, corruptness, duty
Oscar Wilde was born in 1854, when the Queen Victoria reigned and Victoria literature manner was blooming. Wilde ‘s parents were successful Dublin intellectuals and when he was immature he was tutored at place, where he became fluid in Gallic and German. He was profoundly interested in the lifting doctrine of aestheticism when he was at Oxford led by his coachs, Walter Pater and John Ruskin, who had a great influence on his Hagiographas later in his life.
The prosperity in the Victoria epoch began to worsen in the late nineteenth century. The hegemony of Great Britain was challenged by the lifting Germany and domestic difference with Ireland. Under the superficial amour propre of the British society lies the corruptness of the nobility. They led a debauched life and their Vitoria values and beliefs began to disappear. Indulgence and hedonism took the topographic point of a nice and respectable life manner they used to populate. Oscar Wilde was born to be a spokesman of this epoch in the field of literature. The image of Dorian Gray is one and the lone novel of his and, in my sentiment, is a representative work of both his life and the worsening epoch.
The narrative starts on a beautiful twenty-four hours with Lord Henry Wotton detecting the creative person Basil Hallward painting the portrayal of a fine-looking immature adult male named Dorian Gray. Dorian arrives subsequently and meets Wotton. After talked with the debauchee Godhead, Dorian begins to believe that beauty is the lone thing that deserves to prosecute in all his life. Distraught that his beauty will melt, he wishes that the beautiful and ever-lasting portrayal can turn old alternatively of him, which eventually comes true in some manner. Later in his life, the portrayal maintain records of whatever he does and the portrayal gets older and uglier one time he does something condemnable or corrupt. In the terminal, he thinks the lone manner to shrive him is to destruct the picture with a knife, which ends his atrocious life alternatively. What is dry is that his picture becomes what it used to be but Dorian himself dies with an aged and shriveled face.
Acknowledged as the spokesman of the doctrine of aestheticism, Wilde ‘s philosophy was “ Art for art ‘s interest ” . For Wilde, the intent of art would steer life if beauty entirely were its object. The image of Dorian Gray reveals the belief that beauty on the surface can merely be in calamities. As Henry said in the narrative -in the presence of off behind every beautiful thing there is some tragic things are ( The image of Dorian Gray Oscar Wilde 1891 ) , calamity if the nature of beauty. Wilde, a chaser of utmost art and beauty, combined the character of both Dorian ‘s and Basil ‘s. He one time said that: “ Basil Hallward is what I think I am ; Lord Henry is what the universe thinks me ; Dorian grey is what I would wish to be-in other ages possibly ” . These three chief characters in the narrative are the spirit of the narrative.
Dorian Gray is a fine-looking immature adult male who accepts Lord Henry ‘s thought of hedonism. He indulges himself in all sorts of pleasance, moral and immoral. Like Oscar Wilde, Dorian thinks that beauty is the lone object of life and that is why he would wish to merchandise his scruples for life-long young person and beauty. Dorian is really an extremist of aestheticism, a individual that Wilde admires. Wilde highlights Dorian ‘s pleasance of populating a dual life and being an illustration of fraudulence. Although Dorian is highly indulgent, he replies “ take attention, Basil. You go excessively far ” when Basil accuses him of doing Lord Henry ‘s sister ‘s name a “ by-word ” . This indicates that Dorian still cares what he looks like in people ‘s eyes and his image in the Victorian society. 24 hours after perpetrating a slaying, he merrily attends a party and feels “ keenly the awful pleasance of a dual life ” . Dorian enjoys this dual life as an integrating of good and evil. I think this sort of life is what Wilde dreams of. Actually Wilde is merely similar Dorian. His life is a paradox because he is both good and evil, both sophisticated and simple, both honest and hypocritical. Different from other authors, he leads a much more existent life than others. Bing accused of sodomist ( cheery individual ) by his lover ‘s male parent, he has tonss of dirts and was imprisoned for two twelvemonth. He abandons his married woman and kids for his male lover once more after he is released. But he does non acquire what he pursues at last. Different from other authors, he belongs to the upper-class alternatively of the destitute known for his biting humor, showy frock and glittering conversations. Wilde was one of the best known personalities of his twenty-four hours ( On Fictional characters in “ the Picture of Dorian Gray ” — An Interpretation of Oscar Wilde ‘ 2008 ) . He converts to Roman Catholicism on his deathbed. All those experience are the contemplations of his slogan “ I want to populate instead than survive ” . He himself is a living character in his ain life narrative. Wilde gives what he wants and what he respects to this person-Dorian Gray.
Another character in this narrative named Basil Hollward is besides a contemplation of Wilde himself. Wilde says that Basil Hollward is what he thinks he is. I think that is because Basil Hollward is a complete creative person. Attracted by Dorian ‘s gorgeous face, he paints the portrayal of Dorian which proves to be his finest work. Art is the lone chase of basil and he does non desire to believe that Dorian is evil although he was murdered by him at last. He still thinks that he is beautiful yet uncomplete. What he commits is merely a defect in an seemingly perfect thing. In my sentiment, he knows what happened as the picture alterations but he merely does non desire to believe. Once Basil acknowledges all the evil sides of Dorian, his dream of art was destroyed. Dorian is a work of art to Basil every bit good as a lover deep in his bosom. Who ‘d wish to acknowledge his or her lover is evil and corrupted? Wilde one time said “ my life as an creative person depends on him. ” This is because basil, as an creative person, possesses all the philosophies of what Wilde think an creative person should hold. He is a perfect contemplation of Wilde ‘s humor: “ all that I desire to indicate out is the general rule that life imitates art far more than art imitate life.
Disappointed to the society, Wilde gives all the societal features to this Lord. He tricks Dorian to go a half-human half-evil spirit with his corrupted life style. What he does in the narrative is to take Dorian to be destroyed in his political orientation. As he says that “ the intent of life is self development and the full realisation of the nature of their demands ” . His place in the narrative is best described by basil, as “ ne’er says anything good but ne’er does anything bad. “ ( Aestheticism in the image of Dorian Grey, 2006 )
Besides the subject of aestheticism, this chef-d’oeuvre besides reveals the societal state of affairs and people ‘s sense of irresponsible at that clip. When Dorian visit to the opium dens of London, harmonizing to what Lord Henry asserts “ offense belongs entirely to the lower ordersaˆ¦I should visualize that offense was to them what art is to us ” . In Henry ‘s eyes, different societal position has different universe position and a corrupt value must belong to the lower category. What ironic is that Dorian conflates condemnable and aesthete.
Back in the last phase of the Victoria epoch, people were brainsick about indulgence and corruptness but did non desire to be responsible for their behaviour. This subject is besides reflected in the image of Dorian Grey. In my sentiment, Dorian uses his portrayal to avoid his duty. He besides justifies his actions harmonizing to the doctrine of the new hedonism. At the terminal of the novel, he chooses to destruct the picture as a manner to squeal. All these behavior depicts a spirit which aims to avoid all the committednesss and disapprobation.
Professor John Sutherland one time said in his talk that “ this authorship would hold secured Wilde merely a minor topographic point in literature, but his position is elevated by his ill fame. ” I am non wholly on board with this statement. Wilde may non be a really successful novelist but he is a successful life human being prosecuting what he truly wants for all his life. He thinks that it was the creative person ‘s responsibility to arise against exactly sacred orthodoxies. He and his novel are of entire success in this sense as a perfect contemplation of art and beauty.
