The Picture Of Dorian Gray Research Paper

Every major war is depicted in a painting. Famous decisions are dramatized in plays. The tales of influential people are spelled out in books. The world and its happenings are inevitably reflected within the art of society, and real life events do inspire the art, and thus the culture. As such, it only makes sense that the opposite is true. Human beings in the modern era draw their inspirations for topics ranging from etiquette to fashion from films, shows, novels, and other pieces of the multifaceted modern culture. This practice of mankind was duly noted by the influential nineteenth century author, Oscar Wilde, and toyed with in his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde utilizes cultural elements to …show more content…
The book, sent by Wotton to Gray with a newspaper clipping about Gray’s recent evil deed attached—the death announcement of Vane—enthralls Gray. He immediately throws himself into the novel and loses track of time within its pages. Gray reflects on the yellow book, saying “it was a poisonous book,” (Wilde 92) and yet, he buys nine more copies, each bound in a different color, so that the yellow book may always suit his moods. Gray goes on to describe the titular character in the yellow book as, “a kind of prefiguring type of himself,” (Wilde 93) save for one crucial difference—the title character of the yellow book is deathly afraid of mirrors. Yet, Gray has realized his absolute, ever-growing love for them. Gray spends hours peering at his own perfect reflection, and is absolutely enamored with his physical presence. This narcissistic obsession is another mark of corruption in Gray’s soul, and it is facilitated and shadowed by Gray’s similar obsession with the yellow book. Hence, the yellow book and its presence within Gray’s life symbolizes the further fall of Gray into