The Picture of Dorian Gray

I read Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray for the first time a couple of years ago and fell in love with it. I read it again last week and was reminded with why I fell in love with it in the first place!

To start with, it's so wonderfully written. Wilde's writing style is so fluid and elegant, it's such a pleasure to read. And the story itself is so gripping! Young and beautiful Dorian Gray accidentally (and unwillingly) sells his soul so that he can stay young and beautiful forever. Instead, a portrait of him absorbs and reflects all his wrong doings. Dorian uses this to his advantage and begins to experience things of a more unseemly nature (particularly for a 19th century audience). Before long the portrait looks demonic and is forever tainted, whilst Dorian remains looking pure and never ages, but he is far from innocent!

The novel primarily addresses the theme of aestheticism. Within the narrative, Wilde touches upon the absurdity of beauty, as well as how destructive it can be. The novel also contains Faustian elements; Dorian surrenders his moral integrity in order to live a life of pure pleasure, with little disregard for others. The character of Lord Henry represents the Devil of Faustian mythology. It is Lord Henry who encourages Dorian to act on his impulses and desires without fear of consequence. He corrupts Dorian's initial purity and innocence by tempting him into a life of hedonism.

The development of Dorian's character allows the reader to be sucked into his world. We are able to witness his corruption and destruction which keeps us gripped in the narrative. Wilde is very good at causing readers to simultaneously sympathise with Dorian (because it is clear that Lord Henry manipulates him) and yet hate him at the same time (because he has little disregard for other people.) And it is this aspect of the novel, in my opinion, which makes it so unbelievably great!

Since I have always found Wilde to be so very witty and enlightened, I thought I would end this blog post with some of my favourite quotes from the novel:

• “Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.”
• “Never marry at all, Dorian. Men marry because they are tired, women, because they are curious: both are disappointed.”
• “Humanity takes itself too seriously. It is the world's original sin. If the cave-man had known how to laugh, History would have been different.”
• “Nothing can cure the soul but the senses, just as nothing can cure the senses but the soul.”
• “Some things are more precious because they don't last long."
• “Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter.” 

Hopefully they've inspired you to give the book a go!