Oscar Wilde

•Literary movement in 19th century France and Britain. Rejected notion that art should teach a lesson or moral value. The artist should eschew political or social messaged. Art should exist “for art’s sake,” and is justified for expressing beauty

•Art is perfect, but the real world is imperfect

•Rather than work and social responsibility, the aesthetes advocated the full and complete experience of life and of beauty

•A later movement in England and France. Also known as fin de siecle (“end of the century”)

•Decadent writers believed that Western civilization was in a condition of decay

•They attacked the accepted moral and ethical standards of the day

•All “natural” forms and behaviors are inherently flawed; therefore “unnatural” forms and styles are to be cultivated. Many therefore experimented with drugs and depravity

Epicurus (342-270 B.C.E.), a Greek philosopher active during the Hellenistic period. Influenced the Aesthetes and Decadents. His thoughts also inform Wilde's Picture of Dorian Gray. He found that:

•Pain, though evil, is necessary as a means to achieving pleasure

•Epicurus advocated what the Victorians would think of as refinement or "taste."

–Dorian Gray's greatest sin is not surrounding himself with beautiful things, but materialism that substitutes for spiritualism that is undesirable.

•True appreciation of beauty frees one from the concerns of a mundane world

•Beauty (and the appreciation of it) is eternal

•A truly beautiful thing is beautiful in its entirety, in every aspect and from every angle

•There are no beautiful thoughts without beautiful forms, and conversely.

•An object must be studied in its entirety, or else it is not the object that is being considered, but a fragment that has no meaningful relationship with the whole. To use the example that Oscar Wilde paints in The Picture of Dorian Gray, the exterior beauty of a man conceals inner moral decrepitude to those who do not contemplate in earnest.

•the soul is given high priority as the body's most important sense-perception tool

•observe beauty (and life) accurately

Dorian Gray: a handsome aspect does not constitute a beautiful creature, and the unhealthy soul of a man who cannot regard his entire self does not really prosper. Tormented by spiritual blindness, Dorian never approaches the Epicurean goal of being free from disturbance; rather, he is continually troubled. To Basil Hallward, the ideal Epicurean observer of beauty, "death is nothing“ He is made pure by his contemplation of true beauty. Rejected by Wotton and Gray in life because he understood them too deeply, he dies relatively naturally, humanly, and cleanly. In opposition, Gray becomes hideous in death.

–Dorian fails to develop his soul, only his physical beauty. The painting alone represents the entirety of him—body and soul (consider the fate of the painting!!!)

•The garden of knowledge (Basil’s garden )

•the master-disciple relationship

•Education provides exposure to beauty. The elevated soul responds.

•The body is man considered as material, as related to the rest of the physical universe. St. Paul calls it “the outer man”; it is man's external dimension. It is through the body that man gathers information about and deals with the world around him

•The soul is man as self-conscious. To speak about one’s soul is tantamount to speaking about one's self or "ego"; it is man in his interior (infra). (We are speaking here of what the Scholastics would refer to as the “inferior portion” of the soul.) It is that which makes man to be uniquely what he is. It comprises man’s intellect, will and emotions.

•The three natures of man are not three different selves, but, rather, three different aspects of the self. All three must be pure and healthy to achieve true “goodness.” This would seem to support Epicurus’ idea that that which we consider beautiful must be beautiful in entirety.

The Doppelganger

In German and eastern European folklore, the doppelganger would be created by one to do one's bidding, performing actions that are often of an evil nature, leaving the creator "pure." The doppelganger is often a symbol in literature of a character's true "self," that which they keep hidden. It is in the doppelganger that one can see the character's personality traits.

The Victorian era is generally associated with the reign of Queen Victoria in England (1837-1901). It was a time of strict rules governing social behavior. Today, many consider it a period of sexual repression, rigid ideas about social and gender roles, complicated guidelines for behavior, and no tolerance for deviation from the "norm." It was to some, in other words, a time of great hypocrisy, for while people often touted their own supposed moral superiority as a civilized people, the Victorian period is known to be a time of rampant poverty and suffering (see the literature of Charles Dickens), rigid delineation between social classes, the ravages of the industrial revolution, prostitution, violence, and drug and alcohol abuse that often constituted the private, secretive behavior of "proper" citizens who by day maintained the facade of morally correct behavior.

Gender roles were especially rigidly defined during this time, and they form what we consider today to be the outmoded, "traditional" view of the roles of men and women in society. A common Victorian view was that women were the "angel of the hearth," standing as a symbol of fidelity, purity, and family. They were, in other words, expected to be the perfect housekeeper and mother to the children, as well as a hostess their husbands could be proud of. The men were to be the family's representative to the community, an image of strength, character, moral behavior, hard work, and responsibility.

Narcissus was the son of the river god Cephisos and the nymph Liriope in Greek mythology. When Narcissus was born, Tiresias, the blind seer, was asked if the child would live a long life. Tiresias replied "If he never knows himself."

As a handsome youth, Narcissus left a trail of broken hearts from rejected lovers of both sexes. Narcissus wanted nothing to do with falling in love with anyone and rebuffed all attempts at romance. His cruelty was infamous. Finally, the nymphs offered a prayer that he might feel what it was to love and meet no return of affection. "So may he love himself," they said, "and not gain the thing he loves."

Narcissus, upon finding an image of himself in a pool, then fell in love with himself and, not being able to find consolation, he dies of thirst at the pool., for if he had reached to take a drink, he knew he would have disturbed the water and shattered is own image.

It is said that Narcissus still keeps gazing on is image in the waters of the river Styx.

For each of the three primary characters (Basil, Henry, and Dorian), brainstorm what you know about their character. Specifically:

–what is the character's general attitude?

–Does the character make good choices? Bad choices? Any choices at all?

–What fundamental truth does this character's growth (or stagnation) convey?

–What seems to be Wilde's attitude towards this character?

Choose one of the following prompts on which to write roughly 1.5 pages in response.

1. It has been said of Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray that the novel is primarily about the effect of experience upon one’s character, either through the direct experience of life or the vicarious experience of life through art. More specifically, Wilde seeks to investigate the extent to which we are shaped by what we do. Lord Henry believes, in short, that we should do whatever “feels good,” without concern for consequences, else we are not experiencing life to its fullest. Yet, there are consequences for many of the characters for their pursuit of pleasure. Developing your argument through textual evidence, explain whether Wilde reaches a conclusion to this question. If he does, what is it? What, in other words, is Wilde’s cautionary message? Does Dorian reach Lord Henry’s ideal? Why or why not?

2. In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde seems to be working out an argument about the degree to which the artist projects himself into his art. On the one hand, Basil refuses to exhibit his greatest work, the portrait of Dorian, because there is, he tells Henry, too much of himself in the painting, and he could not ever reveal so much of himself to the public. Henry scoffs that there is never anything of the artist in his works. Art exists for art’s sake, and should not be created with the purpose of advancing the creator’s point of view. This is a reflection of the aesthetic philosophy to which Wilde was a subscriber. Consider the portrait in the novel. Consider the novel itself. Do we believe that Lord Henry’s perspective is a projection of Wilde’s own? Why or why not?

3. What specifically is it in the novel that serves as the corrupting factor for Dorian’s character? At what point is it introduced? Once corrupted, is Dorian irredeemable, or is there a point at which he vacillates between his hedonistic life of sin and some desire for redemption? Is this moment of conflict believable? Considering this question, what is the significance of the final scene in the novel in which Dorian destroys the painting? Most importantly, why does he destroy it?

4. Critics have written that there are moments in The Picture of Dorian Gray in which Wilde’s prose is equal to none, but there are other moments—specifically the first few paragraphs of the novel—in which the prose is overly wordy. Identify a passage in which you believe that Wilde’s use of language is at its most effective, and explain why you think so. Perhaps you will consider diction, rhythm, dialogue, etc., in your response.

Considering that Wilde’s novel is, at least in part, an examination of the relationship one has with that which is beautiful, it is interesting to explore within ourselves the influence that art has had in our becoming who we are. In other words, what exposure to art—painting, sculpture, architecture, dance, fashion or interior design—have we had, and how has it helped to form our perspectives on the world. Conversely, we also might ask ourselves how who we are affects what we deem to be “beautiful.” Do we view art with an “innocent eye,” a clean slate, as it were, or have we learned from various experiences throughout our lives to judge for ourselves what is beautiful in a particular way?

In this assignment, you are asked to identify a work of art that you find to be beautiful. Remember that art encompasses many techniques, genres, and media, so really think about a work of art to which you particularly respond. Find a picture of this work of art (perhaps on the internet), and include it with the writing assignment, which is described as follows:

In at least two pages of writing (typed, MLA-formatted, please), describe first what you consider to be beautiful about the work. Be specific. Think about composition, texture, mood, textual significance, technique, shape, structure, etc. What strikes you as important, impactful, powerful, evocative, revolutionary or controversial? Then, explain why you are so struck by this particular element in this particular work. I am not interested in a cold analysis of the work. I am not interested in what critics have said. I am interested in you and why you are struck by this work. In other words, I want you to consider in what way the work speaks to you on a personal level. What does it make you feel? Of what does it remind you? How are you inspired by it? How has it informed the way in which you view other beautiful things? When did you first encounter it? How have your personal experiences played a role in your response to this element/ work? The key words, here, are specifically and personal.

In considering your response to this assignment, it may be helpful to broaden your perception of what is art. You may have experienced something beautiful and powerful that you would not consider for this assignment because your idea of what is art is too narrow. To be sure, the work of the painting masters would qualify, but so would:

… Just to name a few. Really take the opportunity to explore something you truly like. Although you are to write about your intensely personal reaction to the art, it is expected that you may have to do some research to support your response.

1. What awkward situation arises when Basil wants to work on the portrait? What is the significance of Dorian's action?

4. What role does Henry play in the relationship among the three men: Basil, Dorian, Henry? Explain the "triangle" developing among the three: how does each affect the others? What characteristic(s) does Wilde intend the reader to bring into focus for each? Revisit this triangle at the close of Chapter 3 and reassess the relationships. Has Wilde's focus shifted? Why? Why not?

5. How does Dorian react to his portrait? How could the painting be initiated as a symbol here? A symbol for...?

6. What does Dorian say about himself and the portrait? How does Wilde establish/ ignite the action of the plot in Dorian's reaction to his portrait? How does Basil (his actions and attitude) at the end of the chapter contribute to this?

7. When Basil tries to destroy the canvas, what is Dorian's response and what is revealed about his character here? What is Wilde's comment on art?

Answer the following questions in outline/bulleted form. You may paraphrase from the novel; direct quotes would be helpful but are not required. This assignment need not be typed:

1. Name at least three (more if you're up to it) examples of the influence of aestheticism in Dorian Gray.

2. Name at least three manifestations of the philosophy of Epicurus in Dorian Gray.

3. Give examples of each of the three natures that comprise the tripartite nature of man in Dorian Gray.