First published in 1890, Oscar Wilde's philosophical novella emphatically explores the intrinsic purpose of art, the perils of societal influence concurring with the morality and beauty of youth.
The Picture of Dorian Gray commences in the opulent London home of well-known artist Basil Hallward, who talks of his latest work with the novella's hedonistic antagonist, Lord Henry Wotton. Basil is stunned at his latest portrait of the young fluorescent charm that is Dorian Gray, forever changing the way in which he sees art, affirming that it portrays too much of himself. Henry deems the portrait to be Basil's "masterpiece", and begins to cause chaos via his intrinsic wit and exponential intellect. After reading the novella, I was engrossed by the sheer complexity of Henry's character and his potent ability to lure Dorian under his spell. Fully deserving of the title "Lord", he is a master of using composed, seductive and compelling language to spoil Dorian's "simple and beautiful nature". Lord Henry is the true catalyst of the plot, propelling the novella forward with his "wrong, fascinating, poisonous, delightful theories." The deep philosophical insights the novella delves into will leave you staring into space for hours, as Wilde expertly constructs his characters to exhibit an illusion of his own being.
Speaking of the novella in a letter, Wilde asserted:
“Basil Hallward is what I think I am: Lord Henry what the world thinks me: Dorian what I would like to be—in other ages, perhaps.”
It is incredibly fascinating to see the relationship between Wilde's characters and their outcomes by the novella's ending. Whilst Basil and Dorian both change significantly, Henry remains a relatively static character, heightening his mysterious nature and his shocking unconventional notions. Despite his emotional investment in Dorian, Basil's views on art tend to fluctuate. The portrait symbolises his undying and guiltless love for Dorian, which is ultimately corrupted by Wotton's unequivocally radical persona. Dorian experiences a major moral demise, descending from a true ideal to sheer perniciousness. Fascinatingly, Wilde uses the portrait to reflect the duality of Dorian's nature, eroding from virtue to abominable hideousness. By the end of the novella, I was stunned by Wilde's ability to make me physically feel Dorian's moral demise. Wilde adopts an ambiguous denouement where Dorian struggles to separate himself from the portrait, covering topics that I found were highly pertinent to today's society, such as the extremes people will go to maintain an image of pure perfection. Dorian's emphatic decision to trade his soul for eternal youth showcases one's longing desire to lead a life of perfection, which is simply not possible. Although visually pure, Dorian's sins stain his portrait until he can no longer separate his virtue from his decadence. Perhaps Wilde's message is that good and evil lie in all of us, and it is down to our consciousness to break free of the corrupt double lives of hypocrisy that many Victorians were forced to live.
The idea of living a double life is widespread throughout Victorian literature, being a central theme in the well-known Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and a more subtle theme in Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles. Oscar Wilde truly blows such works out of the water with The Picture of Dorian Gray, making it, in my opinion, the definitive Victorian literary work regarding dual existence.
Stay in the know, and check out what I've been reading on The Storygraph:
challenging, dark, mysterious, reflective, medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5/5 stars
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