Overland Monthly

The idea of education through self-cultivation (Bildung) belongs to the era of modernity and of the self-realizing individual (Castle 665). The newly-formed individual returns from his journey as a master rhetorician, reconciling with his fractured self when he realizes his internalization of “fractured discourse in the world” (Castle 666). Wilde explores a world in which the protagonist reaches his ultimate goal effortlessly under the influence of others, effectively avoiding the arduous…

In Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and Machiavelli’s The Prince, deception is a tool that one uses to gain a personal advantage. Despite the negative connotation that is typically associated with deception, Twelfth Night and The Prince demonstrate how deception can bring a positive outcome. If one employs a deceptive appearance under necessary circumstances, the end result must be justifiable, even when a majority of people are willingly deceived. Characterized by her beauty and resourcefulness,…

According to the online dictionary of Merriam Webster, vanity is described as: “The Quality of people who have too much pride in their own appearance, abilities, achievements (…) The Quality of being vain” and “Something (such a belief or a way of behaving) which shows that you have too much pride in yourself, your social status, etc.” In my opinion, these descriptions fit the corrupted Dorian Gray perfectly. Dorian was a pure, innocent boy, until he was corrupted by Lord Henry, which made him…

Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray is a unique piece of literature. Set in late 19th century London, the novel centers around Dorian Gray and his friends- Lord Henry Wotton and Basil Hallward. Lord Henry and Basil Hallward share a close relationship with Dorian Gray, having great influence on his development. Both Lord Henry and Basil have completely different values and beliefs. Basil believes in the goodness of mankind and values art to the highest degree. Lord Henry cares little…

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…

OSCAR WILDES “The picture of Dorian Gray” Oscar Wilde was a very popular Irish author, poet and a play writer, best known for his book “The Picture Of Dorian Gray”. Born on the 16th of October 1854 in Dublin, Ireland, to Robert Wilde and Jane Francesca Wilde, he turned out to be a quick-witted kid like his parents. His father was a well-known doctor, earned the title of ‘Sir’ for his work as a medical advisor. His mother, Jane Francesca, was a writer who used to write under the pseudonym…

At the start of the novel The 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…

Moral Development Outline – The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde I. Dorian Gray’s moral decay begins with painter Basil Hallward’s discovery of him and the subsequent collision of influences Dorian faces. A. When Basil first meets Dorian, Dorian’s purity and untainted youth capture the imagination of Basil to an almost dangerous extent that eventually harms Dorian. 1. When Basil confesses he “couldn’t be happy if [he] didn’t see [Dorian] every day” (Wilde 7), Wilde suggests the…

What is the importance of Lord Henry’s introduction in the novel Dorian Gray? Lord Henry Wotton is the first character introduced in Oscar Wilde’s novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. From the start of the novel it is evident that Lord Henry lives an extremely lavish lifestyle and has an eye for beautiful things and their aesthetic. His eye could “just catch the gleam of the honey-sweet and honey-coloured blossom of a laburnum” as he is lying on a “divan of Persian saddle bags.” Wilde portrays…

For the Wages of Sin is Death: The Picture of Dorian Gray Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray tells the tale of a beautiful young man with a disturbing curse. The novel follows the moral corruption of the protagonist Dorian Gray, who is introduced to us as someone innocent and unspoiled. It is only after he gets his portrait painted by an artist named Basil Hallward, that his death begins its countdown. Basil reluctantly introduces him to Lord Henry, a rather interesting character…