Wilde and Aestheticism; Victorian Society's Morality; Dorian's Faustian Bargain; Lord Henry's Corrupting Influence; Novel's Enduring Legacy

The Picture of Dorian Gray

English

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Wilde's novel: art, morality, and Victorian hypocrisy.

Agenda

• Wilde and Aestheticism

• Victorian Society's Morality

• Dorian's Faustian Bargain

• Lord Henry's Corrupting Influence

• Novel's Enduring Legacy

Wilde's Controversial Masterpiece

Oscar Wilde, a leading figure of the Aesthetic movement, cemented his legacy with his only novel, *The Picture of Dorian Gray*. This work, detailing a man's soul captured in a decaying portrait while he retains eternal youth, ignited immediate controversy in Victorian England.

Rigid Moral Codes

Pervasive Hypocrisy

Victorian society upheld strict public decorum and moral rectitude, emphasizing chastity, piety, and respectability. Adherence to Christian values and family honor was paramount for social acceptance. Any perceived deviation could lead to severe social ostracization.

Beneath this veneer of virtue, private indulgence and vice often flourished among the elite. Many prominent figures engaged in secret transgressions, creating a stark public-private dichotomy. Oscar Wilde's work, like Dorian Gray, critiques this societal hypocrisy.

Adriano de Sousa Lopes, a portrait from 1909.

Aestheticism's Challenge

• Oscar Wilde championed Aestheticism: art for beauty's sake.

• Core principle: 'L'art pour l'art' (art for art's sake).

• Rejected Victorian utilitarianism and moralizing art.

• Elevated beauty, sensation above conventional morality.

Ephemeral Beauty's Power

Victorian society's obsession with youthful beauty bred deep anxiety over decay. Basil's portrait, reflecting Dorian's perfection, intensified this societal pressure, driving his desperate wish to preserve his appearance.

Ernesto Biester: A Victorian portrait reflecting societal beauty anxieties.

A Soul for Youth

Dorian Gray, in a moment of impulsive vanity, wishes his portrait would bear the burden of age and sin. This Faustian pact for eternal youth directly foreshadows his profound moral corruption.

Botticelli's "Portrait of a Young Man" embodies eternal youth.

Lord Henry's Philosophy

Corrupting Influence

Lord Henry Wotton champions a philosophy of aesthetic hedonism, prioritizing beauty and pleasure above all else. His cynical wit and famous aphorisms, like "The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it," challenge conventional morality. He views life as an experiment in sensation.

Lord Henry's sophisticated rhetoric profoundly corrupts the impressionable Dorian Gray. He encourages Dorian to embrace unchecked pleasure and moral experimentation, rejecting Victorian era constraints. This influence directly leads to Dorian's pursuit of a life devoid of ethical boundaries.

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Wilde and Aestheticism; Victorian Society's Morality; Dorian's Faustian Bargain; Lord Henry's Corrupting Influence; Novel's Enduring Legacy

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