Concetti Chiave
- Oscar Wilde, born in Dublin in 1854, became a key figure in Aestheticism, advocating "Art for Art's Sake" after studying at Oxford.
- Wilde's duality is reflected in his life as both a rebel and a dandy, symbolizing aristocratic elegance and spiritual superiority despite societal norms.
- The Picture of Dorian Gray explores themes of eternal youth and moral corruption, with Dorian's desires manifesting through a portrait that bears the signs of his sins.
- In a profound allegory, Dorian Gray echoes the Faust myth, with the portrait representing his dark side and the moral that excess must be punished.
- The novel critiques Victorian society, using the corrupted portrait as a symbol of immorality, while the restoration of the picture underscores the eternal nature of art.
What was Oscar Wilde's early life like?
Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin in 1854. He studied at Oxford and he became a disciple of Walter Pater, the theorist of Aestheticism in England, accepting the theory of “Art for Art’s Sake”. After Oxford he settled in London where he became famous for his extraordinary wit and his dress as a In 1881 he edited Poems and he was engaged for a tour in the USA. On coming back to Europe he married Constance Lloyd. His works:
The dandy and Wilde's duality
- Short stories: - - Plays: In 1891 he had a homosexual affair with Lord Alfred Douglas, called Bosie, and for that he was sent to prison where he wrote Wilde lived in the double role of rebel and dandy. The dandy is a bourgeois artist, who, in spite of his obvious unconventionality, remains a member of his class. The wildean dandy is an aristocrat whose elegance is a symbol of the superiority of his spirit.
The plot of Dorian Gray
The Pictures Of Dorian Gray is set in London at the end of 19th century. Dorian Gray, a young man whose beauty fascinates a painter, Basil Hallward, who paints his portrait. While the young man’s desires are satisfied, including that of eternal youth, the signs of age, experience and evil appear on the portrait. Dorian lives only for pleasure, making use of everybody and letting people die because of his insensitivity. When the painter sees the corrupted image of the portrait, Dorian kills him. Later Dorian wants to free himself of the portrait, witness to his spiritual corruption, and stabs it, but he kills himself. The picture returns to its original purity.
Allegory and themes in Dorian Gray
The story is told by a third-person narrator and the perspective adopted is internal which allows a process of identification between the reader and the character. The story is profoundly allegorical, it is 19th century version of the myth of Faust. The picture stands for the dark side of Dorian’s personality, his double (theme that is present also in Italian literature especially in Luigi Pirandello in Il fu Mattia Pascal). The moral of the novel is that every excess must be punished and reality cannot be escaped. The horrible picture can be seen as a symbol of the immorality and bad conscience of the Victorian middle class. The picture restored to its original beauty illustrates Wilde’s theory that art is eternal.
Domande da interrogazione
- What was Oscar Wilde's educational background and early influences?
- How did Oscar Wilde's personal life impact his career?
- What is the central plot of "The Picture of Dorian Gray"?
- What allegorical themes are present in "The Picture of Dorian Gray"?
Oscar Wilde studied at Oxford, where he became a disciple of Walter Pater, embracing the theory of "Art for Art’s Sake," which significantly influenced his later works and lifestyle.
Wilde's homosexual affair with Lord Alfred Douglas led to his imprisonment, highlighting the duality in his life as both a rebel and a dandy, which influenced his public persona and literary themes.
The novel follows Dorian Gray, a young man whose pursuit of eternal youth leads to moral corruption, depicted through a portrait that ages and degrades in his place, ultimately leading to his downfall.
The novel serves as a 19th-century allegory of the Faust myth, exploring themes of duality, excess, and the inescapability of reality, with the portrait symbolizing the dark side of Dorian's personality and the immorality of the Victorian middle class.
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