One of the most fantastic, but at the same time moralizing books of the 19th century. “The Picture of Dorian Gray” is an incredible story about how a portrait absorbed a person’s soul and reflected all its changes.
One of the main characters of the book is a young and beautiful young man whose name is Dorian Gray. He was barely 20 years old, and he accidentally found himself in high society, where he met the artist Basil, who, seeing the young man, decided to capture his portrait.
What is this book about?
The plot is built around a young man who has natural, sensual beauty. The young sitter poses for his friend, the artist Basil Hallward. In Basil's workshop, Dorian meets Henry Wotton, a man who subsequently poisons the young man's mind with his sophistic speeches and cynical views. Henry expresses regret that beauty is not eternal, and youth, in his opinion, is the only wealth worth cherishing. Well, the portrait of a wonderful hedonist is complete. The handsome man is delighted with his reflection, transferred to the canvas, but bitterness crept into his soul, caused by the words of a new acquaintance. The young man understands that time will take away the beauty and freshness of his face, and he will turn into a wrinkled old man with an ugly figure. In excitement, he exclaims: “If only I always remained young, and this portrait grew old! For this... for this I would give everything in the world! I wouldn't regret anything! I would be ready to give my soul for this.” From this moment on, the description of the book “Dorian Gray” takes on dark tones: the main character transforms into a perverted egoist, transferring all the consequences of his lifestyle to the picture. She grows old instead of him.
His wish comes true. A man throws himself into the pool of vice, torturing his soul and body with pleasures and amusements. For many years, the hero remains young, and his portrait takes on all his sins and crimes, becoming repulsive. He destroys the lovely girl Sibyl Vane, breaking her heart. He kills his devoted friend Basil, who was very attached to the young man and loved him. And in the finale, a distraught Dorian thrusts a knife into the ill-fated image, wanting to put an end to the past and find peace. But this way he only finds his own death.
What is The Picture of Dorian Gray about?
When thinking about what the book “The Picture of Dorian Gray” is about, it is necessary to consider the work from different angles. You need to see how Dorian changes, taking what Lord Henry says at face value. Everything that Lord Henry says, Dorian dreams of bringing to life. They sincerely admire their new friend, not realizing that some statements are ironic.
One day Dorian falls in love with a beautiful and charming actress named Sybil. The girl is young, pure and naive. She bestows the young man with her sincere love. Young people start a passionate affair. However, Dorian begins to play with the feelings of his beloved, which drives the girl to suicide. For some time, Dorian worries about the girl’s death, because he sincerely loved her, but soon Lord Henry calms the hero, and Dorian forgets about his grief.
Dorian begins to lead a reckless life, he has promiscuous love affairs, and indulges in indecency. Various contradictory rumors are circulating around the city about Dorian, which shock people who knew Dorian before. The moral character of the protagonist drops sharply, but this is not reflected in his face, but the portrait of the hero began to change, starting with the death of Sybil.
The portrait is distorted, an evil grin appears on it and traces of the use of harmful substances and leading a riotous lifestyle. Every rash step and bad deed is captured in the portrait.
The artist who painted the portrait, Basil, comes to visit Dorian to talk to him and help the hero understand himself. Basil does not believe that Dorian, that bright and kind young man whom the artist remembered, has become an evil and dangerous person. The hero shows the artist his portrait and reproaches Basil for his sins. After telling Basil the truth about the portrait, Dorian decides to kill the artist. Having put his decision into practice, Dorian gets rid of the corpse.
The main character is constantly haunted by paranoia, he begins to fear everything around him and gradually goes crazy. Dorian eventually realizes that he is tired of his wild life. He is trying to do a good deed so that it is reflected in the portrait and revives his soul. However, Dorian does not succeed. He is driven not by sincere motives, but by vanity itself.
Angry at himself and his evil fate, Dorian decides to destroy his portrait, since it is he, in the hero’s opinion, that is the only evidence of a riotous and evil life. When the hero plunges a knife into the portrait, he realizes with horror that the portrait takes on its original features, and he, Dorian, dies and turns into an old, rotten man, on whom all his vices are imprinted.
History of creation
Oscar Wilde made a bet with his friend that he would write a novel that would drive all of London crazy. "Dorian Gray" was written in the shortest possible time, in a single impulse of creative will. The writer won the argument, but paid for his victory: he was tried for corrupting English morals. As a result, he received a real prison sentence.
The novel has a real basis behind it. Oscar Wilde actually had a friend, Basil, who was a talented artist. One day in his workshop the writer saw a very handsome young man. Wilde was delighted with the sitter’s charming appearance and noted with bitterness that this beauty could not escape old age with its ugliness. But the artist was ready to paint an image of the handsome man every year, so that aging and fading would be reflected only on the canvas.
“Portrait…” is the only published novel that brought its creator success and almost scandalous fame. It was first published in July 1890 in the American Lippincott's Monthly Magazine. Subsequently, in 1891, the book was published in a separate edition with six new chapters and a special preface, which became a manifesto of aestheticism.
Analysis of O. Wilde’s novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray”
The contradictions in Wilde's views are revealed especially clearly in his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891). The writer constructs images and plot episodes in accordance with his favorite aesthetic ideas: art is higher than life, pleasure is most important, beauty is higher than morality. However, the system of images and the development of the plot reveal the falsity of these ideas. The dynamics of the plot overcomes the static nature of individual episodes. The objective meaning of the novel contradicts the meaning of individual episodes and, in fact, refutes the entire program of aestheticism and hedonism that appeals to the author.
The idea of “art above life” is contained in the scenes of the handsome Dorian Gray’s acquaintance with the actress Sibyl Vane, who played in Shakespeare’s plays. Dorian fell in love with Sibyl because she could talentedly transform into the images of Juliet and Rosalind and deeply portray their feelings. Dorian Gray loves Shakespearean heroines in an actress. Works of art are more important to him than life. When Sibyl fell in love with Dorian Gray, she could no longer live with the feelings of theatrical heroines. Sybil could portray on stage a passion that she did not feel, but she could no longer play passion after knowing its true essence. Seeing the actress's poor performance, Dorian becomes disappointed in her.
He cannot love a real woman; he loved only the image of art - the Shakespearean heroine. Developing this episode further, Wilde showed that Dorian Gray's aestheticism, his admiration for art and rejection of life lead to cruelty. The aesthetics of Dorian Gray kills Sybil. Upon learning that Dorian does not love her, she commits suicide. The novel discredits the hedonistic position of Lord Henry Wotton and Dorian Gray. Lord Henry charmed Dorian with his elegant but cynical aphorisms. “A new hedonism is what our generation needs. It would be tragic if you didn’t have time to take everything from life, because youth is short.” “People who are not selfish are always colorless.
They lack personality." The path of pleasure that Dorian Gray took is the path of vice. His soul is becoming more and more corrupted. He has a corrupting influence on others. Finally, Dorian commits a crime: he kills the artist Basil Hallward, then forces the chemist Alan Campbell to destroy the corpse. Alan Campbell subsequently commits suicide. The selfish thirst for pleasure turns into inhumanity and crime. The idea of hedonism is debunked in Wilde's novel. The plot of this work, which includes a fantastic element, consistently discredits the worship of beauty, devoid of spirituality and morality.
The portrait of a beautiful young man, created by Basil Hallward, as Dorian Gray was in his youth, is a symbol of the hero’s conscience. The fantastic element in the novel is that Dorian Gray always remains young and handsome, and the portrait, like his double, reflects all the changes in the soul of the real Dorian and his aging. Each new step in Dorian's moral decline is reflected in his portrait. The face depicted by the artist shows features of cruelty and hypocrisy. The thought of the portrait haunts the hero; he considers it the source of all his misfortunes. Dorian sinks deeper into the abyss of evil.
The vicious life finally begins to weigh on him, but he has already gone too far and is unable to break free, unable to leave this path. Hence his last desperate and fatal act: he rushes with a knife at the portrait, but kills himself. Dorian and his portrait have swapped places: on the floor, in front of the portrait, lies a disgusting old man with a knife in his chest, and on the wall hangs a portrait of a beautiful young man. The story of Dorian Gray is a condemnation of individualism, aesthetic lack of spirituality and hedonism. "The Picture of Dorian Gray" was written in an impressionistic style. The details are distinguished by sophistication and mannered elegance.
The novel begins with the words: “The thick aroma of roses filled the artist’s studio, and when the summer breeze rose in the garden, flying through the open door, it brought with it either the heady smell of lilacs or the delicate fragrance of scarlet rosehip flowers.” The style of the novel is characterized by paradox. This property distinguishes both plot situations and the speech of characters. The characters in the novel speak in paradoxes. However, many paradoxical judgments in the novel are directed against hypocritical bourgeois morality, against the social phenomena of English life.
Basil Hallward says, for example: “England is bad enough and the whole of English society is no good.” “There is scarcely a single face in the whole House of Commons that would be worth painting, although many of them could use a little whitewashing.” The novel itself defines the relationship of paradox to the truth of life: “The truth of life is revealed to us precisely in the form of paradoxes. To comprehend reality, one must see how it balances on a tightrope. And only after watching all those acrobatic jokes that Truth does, we can correctly judge it.”
1. History of creation: The Picture of Dorian Gray is the only published novel by Oscar Wilde. First published in July 1890 in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine, and later published as a separate book in April 1891, supplemented by a special preface that became a manifesto of aestheticism, some chapters were completely revised. The novel was created at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Refers to the literary movement - aestheticism.
2. Genus: Epic
3. Genre: Romance
4. Features of the genre: philosophical novel, psychological novel, social novel.
5. Sources of the plot: Literary (The novel tells a story that echoes the fantastic plot of “Shagreen Skin” by Balzac; the novel “Melmoth the Wanderer” by Charles Robert Meturina - the idea of a mysterious portrait; “Shagreen Skin” by Balzac; Close in decadent spirit to “The Portrait of Dorian” Gray" is Huysmans's novel "On the contrary"); Autobiographical (O. Wilde’s opinions on art).
6. Main theme: beauty theme
7. Topics: the theme of the meaning of life, the theme of responsibility for what has been done, the theme of the meaning of love and the destructive power of sin.
8. Plot:
— Exposition : Meeting of Basil Hallward with his friend Lord Henry Wotton. Creating a portrait. The appearance of Dorian Gray.
— Plot : Basil gives the portrait to Dorian. Dorian Gray attends social events with Henry Wotton. Dorian falls in love with the actress Sibyl Vane.
— Development of the action : The fading of the portrait. Announcement of the birth of Dorian and Sybil.
— Climax : The breakdown of the relationship between Dorian and Sybil. Dorian takes drugs. Dorian kills his friend, the artist Basil. Meeting with Sibyla's brother.
— Denouement : The Death of Dorian Gray
9. Features of the composition:
A) Conflict:
— Main (Dorian Gray's relationship with reality);
- Side (conflict between Dorian and Lord Henry; Between Dorian and Basil; Between Basil and Lord Henry; Dorian and Sybil Vane).
B) System of images: contrast of heroes and inanimate portrait
D) Images:
Dorian Gray:
Dorian Gray loves Shakespearean heroines in an actress. Works of art are more important to him than life. When Sibyl fell in love with Dorian Gray, she could no longer live with the feelings of theater heroines. Sybil could portray on stage a passion that she did not feel, but she could no longer play passion after knowing its true essence.
Seeing the actress's poor performance, Dorian becomes disappointed in her. He cannot love a real woman; he loved only the image of art - the Shakespearean heroine. Developing this episode further, Wilde showed that Dorian Gray's aestheticism, his admiration for art and rejection of life lead to cruelty. The aesthetics of Dorian Gray kills Sybil. Upon learning that Dorian does not love her, she commits suicide.
The path of pleasure that Dorian Gray took is the path of vice. His soul is becoming more and more corrupted. He has a corrupting influence on others. Finally, Dorian commits a crime: he kills the artist Basil Hallward, then forces the chemist Alan Campbell to destroy the corpse. Alan Campbell subsequently commits suicide. The selfish thirst for pleasure turns into inhumanity and crime. The idea of hedonism is debunked in Wilde's novel.
Basil Hallward's image:
Basil Hallward's meeting with young Dorian Gray breathed new life into his work. “Dorian Gray is simply a motif in art for me,” Basil says of the influence of Dorian’s charm. Falling in love with perfect beauty gave him the gift of seeing things in a different light, which allowed Hallward to have a premonition of the discovery of a new style, “a new manner of writing.”
This feeling is all the more valuable for the artist, who sees two important moments in the history of mankind: “The first is the emergence of new means of expression in art, the second is the appearance of a new image in it.” The portrait of Dorian, a young man who miraculously combines innocence, untouched by life and external beauty, is the best thing that was created by the artist, but the artist himself is not going to expose his brilliant creation to the public.
There is only one reason for this: the creator of a beautiful picture “put too much of himself into it,” and exposing his own soul to the curious is not his goal. The “Preface” on behalf of Wilde is further developed in Basil’s words about the essence of art: “An artist should create beautiful works of art without introducing into them anything from his personal life. We have lost the ability to abstractly perceive beauty. I hope one day to show the world what an abstract sense of beauty is.”
The artist’s sensitivity reveals the true relationship between him and his model: Basil unmistakably determines Dorian’s frivolity, for the same reason he does not want to introduce Lord Henry to his new friend - Henry’s ideas, Basil believes, could be disastrous for Dorian’s unspoiled soul. This turned out to be true: from the first words of the brilliant sophist lord (playing the role of Mephistopheles), Dorian’s attention was drawn to the philosophical system of a sophisticated esthete.
The artist Hallward, it would seem, violates one of Wilde’s commandments - “an artist is not a moralist”; on the contrary, he continually appeals to the laws of conscience. But no one hears his calls “Let’s pray together!”, and there is no mannerism in the manifestations of his humanity.
Basil Hallward noticed in the young man not only his outer beauty, but also the inner purity that this beauty reflected. And at the beginning of his life’s journey, Dorian was still capable of sincere repentance and could fairly evaluate his own actions.
The portrait painted by the artist actually depicted not only the main character, but at the same time the idea of beauty of Basil Hallward himself, who saw his ideal in the young man. The artist sought to embody in his art the harmony of body and spirit. At the same time, he gave the painting “too much of his own,” which is unacceptable according to the ethics of pure art, which is why Basil was killed - art “hid” the artist.
Image of Henry Wotton:
Henry Wotton appears in the novel in a symbolic setting of aestheticized philosophical contemplation: exquisite fragrances of flowers, an artist's studio, shadows of birds, suggestive of Japanese painting. This atmosphere is isolated from the hustle and bustle: “The dull noise of London came here like the hum of a distant organ.”
The lord's judgments are extremely aestheticized, Beauty is denied spirituality once and for all - intelligence is an “anomaly” that violates harmony; family life is a reason for a competition in lies between spouses; He doesn’t tolerate his relatives because “we can’t stand people with the same shortcomings that we have.” Is Lord Henry a moral man? Basil Hallward answered this question clearly positively: “You are an amazing person! Never say anything moral and never do anything immoral. Your cynicism is just a pose.” This is understandable - the image of Wotton is intended to caricature the mores of English society, from the height of its paradoxes.
Lord Henry is a convinced hedonist, his attitude towards people is the attitude of the viewer towards the stage actors, to whom he is in principle indifferent: he chooses friends and enemies based on aesthetic considerations, he “observes” people, finding in this a special interest, intellectual pleasure: “Genius is undoubtedly more durable than Beauty. That’s why we strive to develop our minds beyond all measure.”
Lord Henry’s attitude towards the misfortunes of his neighbors is peculiar : human grief is terrible and ugly, Harry Wotton denies people sympathy for precisely this reason, leaving the solution of problems to “Science” without emotions, and behind him – “philosophical contemplation”. Henry Wotton becomes Dorian Gray's mentor - he is interested in the young man because of his extraordinary combination of beauty and spiritual integrity, and, as a man who idolizes beauty, Lord Henry undertakes to teach Dorian lessons in obtaining the fullest pleasure from life.
“The purpose of life is self-expression,” proclaims Henry Wotton, but fear of public opinion prevents this. To give free rein to your feelings is to discover a source of extraordinary joy by making your dreams come true. Having clearly revealed to Dorian the transience of youth, Lord Henry encourages the young man to seek new sensations - to feel the fullness of life. Dorian’s moral decline occurs under the direct “guidance” of Lord Henry, an extraordinary man, into whose mouth the author puts many of his own paradoxical judgments.
Wilde is primarily interested in the game of the mind, and therefore the cold cynic Lord Henry is engaged in the search for truth, and the desire for irresistibility: “He played with thought and became arrogant. He threw it into the air and turned it over, let it go from his hands and caught it again, decorated it with the rainbow colors of fantasy and inspired it with paradoxes.” All words and all actions of Lord Henry in relation to Dorian Gray are consistent and pursue a specific purpose.
Lord Henry does not intend to corrupt the main character at all, because this will destroy the beautiful appearance of Dorian. On the contrary, he intends to do everything to preserve the beauty of his friend. The first thing Lord Henry does is try to convince Dorian of the value of youth and beauty. And this attempt was crowned with complete success. But even without being immoral in your own actions, you can corrupt other people.
Sybil Vane:
The cheap theater actress forced Dorian to say words of love, striking his imagination as an artist with the genius of transformation on stage. This is not about love for a woman, but about love for her talent. This is precisely what Dorian admires so much - pure art that has nothing to do with life, with poor Sibyl herself. But for Sibyl, he is “the hero of some play,” she calls him “Prince Charming.” Is this why she forgets all her roles in other plays, because she is absorbed in this - the only role for her now - in life?
One way or another, this love was extremely noble on both sides, the innocent Sybil surrendered to the power of a new feeling with the entirety of her being, and even Dorian Gray, who had already experienced the poisonous effect of Lord Henry’s words, refuses the instructions he received: “When Sybil is with me, I “I am ashamed of everything that you, Harry, taught me with one touch of her hand; I forget you and your fascinating, but poisonous and incorrect theories.”
However, a cruel dissonance poured into the harmonious beginning: from the moment Sibila lost her gift as an actress. A bad performance on stage was a terrible disappointment for Dorian: he, in love with all of Shakespeare's heroines in the person of Sibyl, was unable to reciprocate the feelings of Sibyl herself, a real girl. The shock was so great that Dorian did not hesitate to express the most cruel words to her, pushing her away with genuine disgust: now Sybil was for him one of the most ordinary women. Left alone with himself, Dorian remains alone with his conscience - this is precisely the role played by the portrait, reflecting from now on all the bad things that Dorian has done and will do.
That night, he notices a line of cruelty in the man's mouth, and this makes him decide to do the morally right thing - Dorian decides to get married. Moreover, with the onset of a fragrant morning, he hears in his heart echoes of past love - and this is no longer just pity. Wilde left Dorian the role of an experimental subject, observed by a preacher of the ideas of pure art - along with Sybil Vane, the hope of resurrecting Dorian's soul died. The actress played her last role in the play of life, giving Harry Wotton the right to say: “This girl, in essence, did not live and, therefore, did not die.
Mourn Ophelia if you wish. Cover your head with ashes, grieving for the strangled Cordelia. Curse the heavens for the death of Brabantio's daughter. But do not shed tears in vain for Sybil Vane. She was even less real than all of them.” The choice has been made - from now on the portrait for Dorian will not be a picture crying out to clear his conscience, but a way to mock fate - let passions and sins from now on be stamped on the image hidden under the veil from everyone, Dorian himself will be free from the fear of losing the charm of youth in search of pleasure – isn’t this everyone’s dream?
Love is a unique unity of external and internal beauty. However, Dorian himself destroyed this unity when he rejected Sibyl Vane. This girl offered him what Lord Henry dreamed of: love that would become art in real life. That is why Sibila lost the ability to play on stage. However, this unity turned out to be inaccessible to Dorian Gray; he did not understand the one who loved him.
E) Techniques (“The Picture of Dorian Gray” is written in an impressionistic style. The details are distinguished by sophistication and mannered grace. The style of the novel is characterized by paradox. This property distinguishes both the plot situations and the speech of the characters. The heroes of the novel speak in paradoxes. However, many paradoxical judgments in the novel directed against hypocritical bourgeois morality, against the social phenomena of English life).
10. Semantic concept: glorification of love, responsibility for what has been done, condemnation of lies, condemnation of excessive desire to preserve one’s beauty.
Literature of Action" and the works of R. Kipling
The work of Rudyard Kipling belongs to the neo-romantic “literature of action”, which differed from the work of the neo-romantics Stevenson and Conrad in that it was involved in imperialist ideology. The poets E. Henley and G. Newbolt also “belong” to the “literature of action”. In 1907, Kipling was awarded the Nobel Prize for “masculinity of style.”
The democratization of content and form in Kipling’s talented poetry, on the one hand, opposed the sophistication and refinement of decadent literature, but on the other hand, it idealized bureaucratic and barracks life. In contrast to the lack of will and anemia of decadent poetry, Kipling creates “literature of action”, glorifying human activity, courage, and perseverance. But at the same time, he subordinates the image of a strong, energetic, courageous person to the idea of submissive and resigned service to the British Empire.
Kipling the poet published several collections of poems. Among them the most significant are: “Official Songs and Other Poems”, “Barracks Ballads”, “Seven Seas”. In the poem "Mary Gloucester," Kipling romanticizes the previous generation of energetic seafarers who acquired wealth through robbery and violence, and denounces the modern generation of educated but pathetic people.
Kipling's poems approach the vocabulary and intonation of everyday speech; they contain dialect words and jargon. In Kipling's poems one can feel a simple and pronounced rhythm, close to the rhythm of folklore works: folk ballads, folk songs. His poems are always plot-driven, they talk about everyday, but at the same time, remarkable events.
Kipling published several collections of short stories: Plain Tales from the Mountains, The Three Soldiers, and The Phantom Rickshaw. Many of Kipling's novels take place in India. The plots are connected with the relationship between the British and Indians, with the plight of ordinary people in India. Kipling's most famous works - "The Jungle Book" and "The Second Jungle Book" - used the richest material of Indian folklore, which formed the basis of their poetic content.
Wrote several novels. Kipling wrote several novels. The novel The Light Out depicts the life of war artist Dick Heldar. His truthful art is contrasted with decadent painting. In his novel Captains Courageous, Kipling described the hard work of fishermen. The author emphasizes the edifying idea that the powers that be should learn courage from ordinary people. The novel "The Stoics and Company" shows the formation of a soldier of the empire. The novel “Kim” is at the origins of “spy literature” of the 20th century. The writer praises espionage carried out in favor of the British Empire.
His best works, which are characterized by the romance of bold actions, fidelity to duty, and the romance of heroism, had a strong influence on the work of Conrad, Stevenson, Jack London, and Maugham. Modernism in literature arose on the eve of the First World War and reached its peak in the twenties simultaneously in all countries of Western Europe and in America. Modernism is an international phenomenon, consisting of different schools (Imagism, Dadaism, Expressionism, Constructivism, Surrealism, etc.). This is a revolution in literature, the participants of which announced a break not only with the tradition of realistic verisimilitude, but also with the Western cultural and literary tradition in general.
The generation of the first modernists acutely felt the exhaustion of the forms of realistic storytelling, their aesthetic fatigue. For modernists, the concept of “realism” meant the absence of effort to independently comprehend the world, the mechanical nature of creativity, superficiality, the boredom of vague descriptions - interest in the button on a character’s coat, and not in his state of mind. Modernists place above all else the value of an individual artistic vision of the world; the artistic worlds they create are uniquely different from each other, each bears the stamp of a bright creative individuality.
They happened to live in a period when the values of traditional humanistic culture collapsed - “freedom” meant very different things in Western democracies and in totalitarian states; the carnage of the First World War, in which weapons of mass destruction were used for the first time, showed the true cost of human life for the modern world; The humanistic ban on pain and physical and spiritual violence was replaced by the practice of mass executions and concentration camps. Modernism is the art of a dehumanized era.
Modernists conceptualize human existence as a short, fragile moment; the subject may or may not be aware of the tragedy, the frailty of our absurd world, and the artist’s job is to show the horror, greatness and beauty contained, despite everything, in the moments of earthly existence. Social issues, which played such an important role in the realism of the 19th century, are given indirectly in modernism, as an inseparable part of the holistic portrait of the individual.
The main area of interest of modernists is the depiction of the relationship between the conscious and unconscious in a person, the mechanisms of his perceptions, and the whimsical work of memory. The modernist hero is taken, as a rule, in the entire integrity of his experiences, his subjective existence, although the very scale of his life may be small and insignificant. The modernists of England include the great D. Joyce, W. Woolf, David Lawrence, Thomas Eliot and others.
Genre
“The Picture of Dorian Gray” can be classified as an intellectual novel. In the work, the characters and the narrator are subject to introspection, comprehension of their actions and surroundings. Their conversations go beyond the plot, representing a debate of certain philosophical views. The book raises the most important aesthetic, moral and “eternal” problems.
Based on the time of creation and style, the work can be attributed to a Victorian novel. This is how English prose was called during the reign of Queen Victoria - an era of calm, puritanism and hypocrisy. Its author gracefully ridicules Lord Henry in his remarks.
The definition of “allegorical parable” is also applicable to the book. The events taking place in it should not be taken literally. The heroes are not people, they represent philosophical views, magical pictures - vicious temptation, death and love - trials, copper pipes that open the veil over human nature.
The direction of the author's creative thought is at the junction between romantic, fantastic and realistic principles. Thus, the book reveals an element of fantasy (the magical power of the portrait), the psychological and social components of realism and the romantic type of the main character.
The meaning of the title of the book "The Picture of Dorian Gray"
The meaning of the title of the book “The Picture of Dorian Gray” refers readers to the main thing around which the action in the novel revolves. The portrait is extraordinary; it is able to bring to life the main desire of the hero: not to grow old with age, to always remain beautiful and young.
Dorian is very young, naive and kind-hearted, he is beautiful both externally and internally. One day Dorian meets Lord Henry, this meeting turns out to be fatal for Dorian. Lord Henry is smart, interesting, he loves to put forward shocking hypotheses. Dorian listens to him and perceives everything Lord Henry says as the truth.
Main characters
- Dorian Gray is a naive and beautiful young man who turned into a depraved and insensitive egoist under the influence of Lord Henry. He is a nobleman, a descendant of a noble family. His soul eagerly sought a mentor in the secular world that was new to him. Having chosen a sophisticated and vicious example to follow, the hero, being weak-willed and driven, rushes to try out all the cynical advice of his senior comrade. From the very beginning it is clear that he is a sensual but cowardly self-lover, because the thought of losing his own beauty (the only difference from other men in his circle) enslaves his mind, which has not yet had time to develop. He easily betrays his love for other people, this speaks of the pettiness of his nature and the stinginess of his heart. Using his example, the author draws a parallel between internal and external wealth, which are not at all identical to each other. The writer has already embodied the image of Dorian Gray in the fairy tale “Boy Star”. Wilde turns that hero into a freak, not giving him the opportunity to hide the ugliness. Therefore, he quickly transforms into a good and highly moral young man, aware of his guilt. However, the novel is not a fairy-tale parable; in it, the creator truthfully told about what awaits the arrogant and self-obsessed character.
- Lord Henry is a wealthy and refined nobleman, well accepted in high society. His sarcastic remarks and casuistic worldview (he professes hedonism) are liked by the people around him, who enjoy his wit. Every second quote of his is an aphorism. However, he himself never follows his bold thought. He admonishes, cunningly, gradually corrupts Dorian’s soul, but he himself does nothing of the kind. His image is traditionally compared to the archetype of the devil in literature. Wotton is like Mephistopheles from Goethe's Faust: he only guides a person, skillfully shuffling hedonistic ideas, subtle humor and arrogant cynicism. The spirit of depravity emanating from this hero is attractive. He has sophistication and sublimity, but this is only external beauty, which, like the beauty of his face, is only a fragile veil of a rotten sinful essence.
- Sibyl Vane - Dorian's lover, actress. The girl of rare beauty was also very talented. She amazed Gray with her talent. He loved her for him, because the artist could never get bored: she transformed into different images every day. The real Sybil was ready to sacrifice her career, success, creativity itself for the sake of love, and, feeling this, the young man quickly became fed up with adoration. He liked the stage, far-fetched lady of his heart, as free and incomprehensible as himself. But the young woman was only kind, dreamy, naive and vulnerable. Therefore, the first disappointment in people made her commit suicide. Neither her mother nor her brother were able to disabuse her of her rosy hopes in time.
- Basil Hallward is a painter, a friend of Dorian and Lord Henry, who introduces them. It was he who painted the fatal portrait. The artist sincerely admired the sitter and his beauty, and it was he who sensitively perceived the changes that had occurred in the young man. He saw the emerging depravity in him and sounded the alarm, but Gray only distanced himself from him in response. Basil was a humanist and moralist, his moral principles contrast with Henry's refined immorality, and therefore irritate the protagonist. Hallward values solitude, loves to reflect and philosophize, and is the bearer of the author's point of view in the novel. His sitter blames him for his fall, and then kills him, wanting to break the spell. Little does he know that his friend has been desperately trying to prevent his corruption all this time.
- James Vane is Sybil's brother, a sailor. A sane and strong-willed young man. From the very beginning, he is skeptical about the rich nobleman's intentions regarding his sister. The man is accustomed to relying on himself in everything, and not looking for easy ways to the top, so he warns his mother against trusting too much in a stranger from the nobility. He is a typical representative of the Victorian era, his social prejudices are unshakable. When Vane learns of the death of his deceived sister, a desperate desire to take revenge on the heartless rich man awakens in his heart. Since then, the sailor, firm in his convictions and purposeful, has been chasing the offender, but meets his death before he can present it to Gray.
The meaning of the book
Wilde's novel is as multifaceted as the creative embodiment of his plan is multifaceted. The meaning of The Picture of Dorian Gray is to show us the superiority of the internal content of the human personality over the external. No matter how beautiful the face, it cannot replace the beautiful impulses of the soul. The ugliness of thought and heart still mortifies the flesh and makes the beauty of forms lifeless and artificial. Even eternal youth will not bring happiness to the ugly.
The author also proves to the reader that art is eternal. The Creator paid for his love and devotion to ideals, but his creation is alive and beautiful. The portrait shows a charming young man in the prime of enchanting youth and beauty. And a person who devotes himself to the cult of pleasure, in love only with himself and his desires, is dead. His appearance is alive in a picture, alive in art, and the only way to preserve a moment for centuries is to depict it in all its glory.
The preface to the novel consists of 25 aphorisms that proclaim the author’s aesthetic ideals. Here are some of them: “The artist is the creator of beauty”, “To reveal oneself and hide the creator - this is what art craves”, “The chosen ones are those for whom beauty means only one thing - Beauty.” “Vices and virtues for the creator are the material of art.” “The ethical preferences of the creator lead to mannerism of style.” Although Oscar Wilde was a supporter of the theory of aestheticism, the work clearly outlines the danger of separating ethical and aesthetic principles. Service leads to death, as it happened to the hero of the novel. To feel and enjoy beauty, and at the same time preserve your face and virtue, you must always observe moral standards and not drive yourself to fanaticism, even if you have eternal life in stock.
The meaning of The Picture of Dorian Gray
The meaning of the work “The Picture of Dorian Gray” is that every act of a person, any of his actions inevitably remains an eternal imprint on his face. The main character was young and kind, but someone else’s worldview changed him; he succumbed to the influence of Lord Henry, who, unwittingly, spoiled the young man by instilling in him a new view of the world. Dorian Realized that everything was allowed to him, he felt unpunished, however, punishment found him.
The meaning of the ending of the novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray” is that nothing goes unnoticed. As a result, everyone gets what they deserve. Dorian allowed himself a riotous lifestyle; he had bad habits: he became addicted to opium, and was debauched with various women. The portrait reflected all the sins of its owner: the portrait was aging, traces of syphilis appeared on it, which its owner acquired by visiting various brothels. Outwardly, Dorian did not age and looked as beautiful as ever, but his soul was already rotten, which was reflected in the portrait.
Dorian was accustomed to seeing the guilt of others in all his sins; he did not want to admit that he was the culprit of all the troubles that happened to him. The hero of the novel never realized that, first of all, he himself was to blame for everything that happened to him.
The author, using the example of his hero, decided to show readers how dangerous and harmful bad education is. Dorian was influenced by Lord Henry, who gave rise to evil thoughts in the hero’s soul. It was Lord Henry who pushed Dorian, a young and kind youth, into debauchery and crime. It is worth noting that Lord Henry himself, despite his reasoning and ideology, did not live by them; he expressed many of his thoughts ironically, conducting a kind of experiment on the main character.
Write in the comments your opinion about what the book “The Picture of Dorian Gray” is about. We'll be looking forward to it!
Morality
Of course, the most important moral law of existence is not to elevate what is visible to the status of the only significant thing. If a person is beautiful, this does not mean that his soul corresponds to his shell. On the contrary, many handsome people are selfish and stupid, but society continues to value them higher than people gifted with genuine virtues. This misguided worship leads to absurd cults of heartless and empty dummies, while truly wonderful individuals remain misunderstood. Carnival falsity, hypocritical adherence to decency and generally accepted attitudes constituted the immutable law of the Victorian era, in which the smart, brave and original writer Oscar Wilde did not fit in.
The worship of love destroyed Sibylla Vane, love for beauty and admiration for it as art led the artist Hallward to the house where he met his end. The main character, who plunged into a vicious world of pleasures, fell by his own hand. The moral of The Picture of Dorian Gray is that any absolute worship carries with it danger. You can love, create, enjoy, but at the same time leave room for a sober understanding of your actions. The characters are subject to impulsiveness, this is their misfortune: Sybil, after a breakup, commits suicide, Dorian, with triumphant malice, throws himself at the painting with a knife. And they all became victims of their ideals - such is the price of blindness. Within reasonable limits, cynicism helps people avoid making such mistakes; this is what the author teaches by portraying Lord Henry.
Basil's love for Dorian in The Picture of Dorian Gray
So, I think many people who know me first-hand have heard from me more than once a fan’s delight in Oscar Wilde’s work “The Picture of Dorian Gray.” There are no words to describe how much I love this novel. No, it is not in first place in my top list, but it is the one I re-read most often. Moreover, I reread it 5 times, although I only read any other book once (usually I rarely reread even my favorite books). However, I want to re-read this novel again and again, and each time I found something new and paid attention to what I did not see during the last reading. I could talk a lot, for a long time and with delight about this work, reveal all sides of my love and simply discuss this novel with admiration. But the topic of the community will not allow me to do this and I will most likely get hit in the head if I go off topic and start offtopic etc. But somehow I wanted to touch on this book and I decided to choose Basil’s love for Dorian as the topic. The topic contains many plot spoilers, which will lead to even more spoilers, and if you have not read the book, then close my blog this minute and forget about the existence of this post. This post is boring, fan-made and not interesting at all. Haru's usual delirium in the middle of the night.
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So, the theme of love in Oscar Wilde's novel The Picture of Dorian Gray occupies a central place. It is revealed by the author from four different positions and participates in the formation of artistic images of the main characters. Lord Henry Wotton expresses everyday, sensual, cynical love. The young actress Sibyl Vane becomes involved with romantic, tragic, dreamy love. The artist Basil Hallward embraces true love, characterized by spiritual worship and endless devotion to its object.
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I will not talk about all the love branches and will move on to our dear artist himself. Also, I will not introduce things and talk about the heroes themselves, because... This post is specifically for those who are personally familiar with the novel. Actually, the artist’s feelings for Dorian are a separate topic for reflection. Their relationship does not have any precision and each reader himself expresses his own point of view on certain scenes. Now I will tell you only my point of view.
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Once I watched a film based on this book and there was a very interesting scene that simply shocked me. Many readers insisted that Wilde had no sexual context or even love interest in his relationship with Basil and Dorian. Although, as I said, each reader has his own opinion on this matter, but I don’t know what the author wanted to say. However, there was an amazing and bold scene in the film - a reference primarily to the scene on the balcony, where the relationship between these two characters in the novel went beyond platonic. To be honest, it shocked me, it was as if they had thrown a hammer at me. There was nothing like this in the book - that's a fact. However, their relationship still gives reasons for reflection. From what Hallward tells Lord Henry, and how intimately the artist describes his feelings, one can conclude that Basil has an emotional attachment to his sitter. Even if we do not take into account the fact that in the first chapter he directly speaks of his love for Dorian, and see this as nothing more than an allegory, then his attitude should betray the sensuality and timidity with which he explains himself in the workshop.
However, I can translate two other facts against such an attitude. In the same chapter, below, Basil says: “Dorian Gray is to me simply a motif in art. You may not see anything in him, but I see everything.” On the one hand, this can be taken literally, on the other hand, as an excuse for one’s feelings or a desire to distract Lord Henry from the person to whom Basil is not indifferent. This is the first controversial argument. The second is no less controversial, but simple - it’s Wilde! He has a lot of sensuality! Sensuality is one of the manifestations of Beauty, which the writer worships. Perhaps the conversation in the workshop only seems intimate, but in fact represents a unique style? Indeed, in “De profundis” Oscar Wilde remembers many of his friends with the same tenderness. However - what is, in fact, controversial - Wilde writes about Alfred Douglas in this prison confession at approximately the same level of sensuality and with the same frequency of mentions of love with which Hallward tells Lord Henry about Dorian, and what kind of relationship connected the writer with the lord more -less known.
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To be honest, I disagree with myself on this topic. Every time I challenge my own point of view. Sometimes I think my shipper nature clouds my brain. However, one thing I can say for sure; the true, deep love of the artist Basil Hallward for Dorian Gray is the most constant. The work begins with it, and it ends only with the death of the character. The portrait painter’s feelings are described in the novel both as falling in love with a wonderful example of human nature, and as the ascension of an ideally beautiful person to the pedestal of art. On the one hand, Basil Hallward experiences sincere, perhaps even physical, love for the golden-haired aristocrat. This is evidenced by his fears and the story of his crossing views with Dorian. On the other hand, the artist is in love with the young man as with Beauty, elevating his work to the rank of the highest example of modern art.
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What is your opinion on this topic? Do you see a manifestation of Basil's homosexuality in the novel, or do you think that his affection for Dorian stems only from the fact that he is a wonderful model? I would be very interested to know your point of view in the comments to this post :heart: .
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Issues
The novel reveals the problem of “beautiful” and “ugly”. These two extremes are needed to understand the integrity of this world. The “beautiful” includes the tragic and pure love of the actress Sibyl, Basil’s sincere affection for the young man and, of course, the main character himself, as the embodiment of true earthly beauty. The “ugly” is carried within his soul; with every vice and crime it smolders, rots, losing sensitivity and the ability to compassion. And all these metamorphoses are taken over by the mysterious canvas, turning the person depicted on it into an ugly, vicious creature. But society is blind to the fine lines between beauty and ugliness; it fixes only the external attributes of a person, completely forgetting about the internal ones. Everyone knows about Dorian’s tricks, but this doesn’t stop them loving and respecting him. Some people are only cowardly afraid of losing their ostentatious virtue, so they do not officially accept it. In these circumstances, along with the promiscuity of people, there is their hypocrisy and cowardice - problems that are no less important.
The portrait of Dorian Gray is a reflection of his soul and conscience. It in no way controls the life of its owner, does not punish him, but only silently reflects all the baseness and immorality of the young man. Virtue is desecrated, real feelings have given way to hypocrisy. The handsome man succumbed to temptation, and only his image will show the retribution for this temptation. There is a problem of impunity for a person from high society: he leads not only an immoral, but also an illegal lifestyle, and no one stops him. Of course, he is from the nobility, and, therefore, has the right to disregard the law until his behavior becomes known to the general public. Only then will everyone pretend that they are shocked by the news, but previously did not suspect anything like this. Thus, the author touches on social and political issues, criticizing Victorian England for turning a blind eye to the crimes of its elite.
Subject
The most interesting topic for the writer was the topic of art. He talked about him in the dialogues of the main characters, and dedicated the ending of the novel to him, where the man died, and his portrait remained an eternal memory of him. The invisible power of a painting is an indicator that the most significant thing created by people is art; it overshadows and outlives its creator, perpetuating his name and skill. This is what makes him truly attractive. Dorian admired Basil's creative genius, Sybil's extraordinary talent, and Henry's oratorical power. His unspoiled soul was drawn to the light of the creative principle, and turned away from it, taking licentiousness and baseness as life guidelines.
In addition, the theme of the work can be called a dramatic collision of the ideas of hedonism (an ethical doctrine where pleasure is the highest good and goal of life) and aestheticism (a movement in European literature and art, which was based on the predominance of aesthetic values - the worship of fine art). Basil Hallward was in love with beauty; art and beauty were inseparable for him. Art is beauty. He sought to immortalize her features with the help of his brush and exceptional talent. But the worship of beauty destroyed the artist; his love and devotion to beauty were trampled by the madness of a corrupt soul. The hero chose the path of pleasure, in the center of which he was himself. He reveled in his impunity and moral decline, because no one could deprive him of his wealth - eternal youth. This lifestyle does not lead to true happiness, but only creates the illusion of it. Dorian in the end begins to regret the lost innocence, the former purity of his soul, but it is too late; sincere feelings, compassion, true love forever lost their meaning for him.
Criticism
The writer's contemporaries vehemently took up arms against Dorian Gray for ridiculing the prim Puritan society of that period. In addition, Wilde vividly described the immoral behavior of the main character, which was indecent to see even on the pages of a book. In the secret adventures of the socialite, especially virtuous readers saw the propaganda of a hedonistic position and vicious leisure. The enlightened and discerning public did not notice the elegantly hidden condemnation, because no one canceled the competition in ostentatious piety.
The writer was even convicted for violating morality, and to a real prison term. Although his speech at the defense caused a sensation among sensible people, it failed to convince everyone else. However, later this work was appreciated, and today it is one of the most significant not only in English, but also in world literature.
Author: Gulnaz Kamalova
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Brief Analysis
Year of writing – 1891.
History of creation - Researchers believe that the creation of “The Portrait of Dorian Gray” by O. Wilde was inspired by the image of Faust, widespread in world literature and the works “Shagreen Skin” by O. Balzac and “On the contrary” by Huysmans.
Theme – The work develops themes of external and internal beauty, the true meaning of life.
Composition - O. Wilde described the life of Dorian Gray from his youth to old age. There are two versions of the novel - in 13 and 20 chapters. Each chapter is dedicated to a specific event. In one of the chapters, the author managed to contain the events that took place in the life of Dorian Gray over the past 20 years. The analyzed work is a weave of events and philosophical reflections.
Genre : Philosophical novel.
Direction – Modernism.
