Concetti Chiave
- The preface of "The Picture of Dorian Gray" is seen as the Manifesto of English Aestheticism, highlighting Wilde's key artistic philosophies.
- Wilde asserts that the primary aim of art is to reveal beauty while concealing the artist, emphasizing art's inherent detachment from morality.
- He argues that art is neither moral nor immoral but can only be judged on its quality of expression, suggesting art's autonomy from ethical judgments.
- Art is considered 'useless' by Wilde, meaning its purpose is not utilitarian but purely for beauty and emotional expression.
- Wilde's work shows the influence of Edgar Allan Poe, particularly "The Oval Portrait," which explores the complex relationship between art and life.
The Manifesto of English Aestheticism
The preface of The picture of Dorian Gray the novel is considered the Manifesto of English aestheticism, because through the preface Wilde expressed his ideas:
• the artist is the creator of beautiful things (una cosa brutta non è arte);
• to reveal art and conceal the artist is art’s aim;
• there’s no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books can only be well written or not. That’s all;
• the artist can express everything;
• art is useless;
• the artist has to consider vice and virtue;
• [all art is at once surface and symbol. Those who beneath the surface do so at their peric.]
Influence of Edgar Allan Poe
Wilde was influenced by another story:
In The Oval Portrait, Edgar Allan Poe offers story about the relationship beetween art and life, through the narrator’s encounter (incontro) with the oval portrait of a young woman in a cheateau in Appenines. Later he finds a book which contains informations about the painting: the woman represented in it was the wife of the painter, who becomes more and more obsessed with capturing her likeness, until he ends up spending all of his time gazing at the portrait of his wife. He stops paying her attention and becomes more and more preoccupied with the painting. When he has just finished the portrait and turns to regard his wife, but she was dead because there’s was a corrispondence beetween the portrait and his wife.
Domande da interrogazione
- What is the central idea of the Manifesto of English Aestheticism as expressed in the preface of "The Picture of Dorian Gray"?
- How does Edgar Allan Poe's "The Oval Portrait" influence Wilde's views on art and life?
- What does Wilde mean by stating "there’s no such thing as a moral or an immoral book"?
The central idea of the Manifesto of English Aestheticism, as expressed by Wilde, is that art should focus on beauty and the artist's role is to create beautiful things. Art should reveal itself while concealing the artist, and it is not bound by moral judgments. Art is considered useless in a practical sense, and the artist should explore both vice and virtue.
Edgar Allan Poe's "The Oval Portrait" influences Wilde's views by illustrating the complex relationship between art and life. The story depicts a painter's obsession with capturing his wife's likeness, ultimately leading to her death. This narrative underscores the idea that art can consume life, reflecting Wilde's belief in the profound and sometimes perilous connection between artistic creation and reality.
By stating "there’s no such thing as a moral or an immoral book," Wilde emphasizes that literature should be judged solely on its quality of writing rather than its moral content. He suggests that books are either well-written or not, and moral judgments should not dictate the value of art.
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