Dorian Gray syndrome

Art captures the brevity of life — it embodies, to many, the soul of its creator and grants the viewer insight to a single moment. However, in Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, a portrait morphs into a catalyst of dual lives. Tempered through an impulsive desire, Dorian’s essence is divided between the seen and the discrete. Through the use of the portrait and opium motif, Oscar Wilde develops the theme of dual existence/true identity. Throughout Wilde’s novel, Dorian’s portrait and the…

The artwork that I have presented thoroughly symbolizes many aspects in the novel 1984. Understanding that there are so many different forms of symbolisms throughout the novel, I chose to illustrate what I thought were some of the most important. From examining my illustration, you can see that there is a man’s hand holding a glass paper weight; and within it is a brain. The hand is contemplating on whether or not to crush the paperweight as it will have full control once completed. You can…

Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian Gray is a face that is both literally and figuratively untouched by external forces. His own ideas about society, morality, youth, beauty are barely formed. They exist as soft and malleable globs of clay that do not yet have any tangible substance or definitive shape. Consequently, throughout the entirety of Wilde’s novel, Gray is molded by the myriad of internal and external forces that bombard a person throughout their lives. By the end of the book, Dorian has…

“There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all” (Wilde 0). These are the words of Oscar Wilde, the author of the 1890 philosophical fiction novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, who is prefacing said novel with the notion that art, be it books, paintings, music, or anything similar, should only serve one purpose: to be admired. Throughout this novel, he presents the argument of aestheticism: that art should not hold an inherent moral…

did not perceive women as actually possessing their own voice. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde is a misogynistic novella that is made evident by the perils and later suicide of Sybil Vane due to Dorian’s impacts, the tragic love life of Margaret Devereux due to her father’s influence…

that can leave a memorable and lasting impression on the reader, but The Picture of Dorian Gray is certainly among one of them. First published in 1890, the book tells the tale of A young man, Dorian Gray, who becomes infatuated with his beauty after a conversation with Lord Henry Wotton, who he met through his friend, Basil Hallward, the true culprit of the tragedy, for he was the one who painted the portrait of Dorian, which became the symbol of corruption within the youth’s own soul. The…

Dark desires and forbidden pleasures of gothic novels are at the center of The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Turn of the Screw. The novels explore the relationship between the corrupted and the corruptor. The gothic novels The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde and The Turn of the Screw by Henry James share the idea of corruption, but in different ways; The Picture of Dorian Gray tells the story of moral corruption and extreme narcissism while The Turn of the Screw tells of corruption of…

In Frankenstein and The Picture of Dorian Gray, Victor Frankenstein and Dorian Gray both want to achieve beauty. Frankenstein wants to create beauty in the form of another creature. Dorian wants to maintain his beauty, like in his portrait. It seems that both Victor and Dorian show us their view on the importance of beauty through their monsters, but it seems to show us two different consequences that occur for the pursuit of beauty. A theme that seems to run through both novels is obsession.…

The Picture of Dorian Gray Writing Assignment 1. Analysis of an Important Character Lord Henry Wotton plays a major role in the development of Dorian Gray’s character. Even before the two main characters’ first meeting, Lord Henry is already known for having a “very bad influence over all of his friends...”, in the words of Basil Hallward (pg 19). Lord Henry opens a door to a new, dark world for Dorian, causing him to become obsessed with youthfulness and appearance. Dorian becomes enchanted…

the 1890s, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde tells the tragic story of a young and beautiful man named Dorian Gray. Artist Basil Hallward becomes infatuated with Dorian and his beauty after capturing a glimpse of him at a party. Basil invites Dorian over to paint a portrait of him, but Dorian is soon swept under the influence of Basil 's friend, Lord Henry Wotton. He tells Dorian that beauty and youth are the essence of humans ' existence, and because of that, Dorian 's free-spirited…