Overland Monthly

The Picture of Dorian Gray The Picture of Dorian Gray depicts the life of Dorian a young, impressionable aristocrat who captures Basil’s artistic imagination and soon becomes a friend to basil. Along with becoming Basil’s friend and muse Dorian meets the famous Lord Henry at one of the painting sessions. Lord Henry is a witty man who enjoys celebrating youth, beauty, and the selfish pursuit of pleasure. Basil reluctantly introduces Dorian to Lord Henry, who soon influences the young Dorian.…

The first appearance of Basil is in his studio painting a portrait of “a young man of extraordinary personal beauty”. Despite Basil’s reluctance, he confesses this is Dorian Gray. The “personal beauty” of the portrait and overwhelming olfactory description creates a picturesque paradise in Basil’s studio, subverting expectation for any sin or immorality. It represents Basil precisely as he is always loving and optimistic, without any callousness, in his appreciation of beauty. Wilde describes…

When the text begins, Dorian is introduced as a flawless young man that was pure and beautiful. Basil’s painting reflects this perfection, and even Dorian is blown aback by his own looks. We are then introduced to his past by Lord Fermor, who reveals his tragic family history that involved the loss of both parents, a tragedy that would result in his upbringing by a loveless tyrant. Dorian is then described as having a unique fascination for Lord Henry, and is one of the few people that were…

The Picture of Dorian Gray The Picture of Dorian Gray depicts the life of Dorian a young impressionable aristocrat who captures Basil’s artistic imagination and soon becomes a friend to basil. Along with becoming Basil’s friend and muse Dorian meets the famous Lord Henry at one of the painting sessions. Lord Henry is a witty man who enjoys celebrating youth, beauty, and the selfish pursuit of pleasure. Basil reluctantly introduces Dorian to Lord Henry, who soons influences the young Dorian.…

In Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian Gray exhibits a perpetual amount of ambiguous morals; his points of redemption along with feelings of guilt contribute to the complexity of his nature throughout the course of the novel. The opening chapter presents Dorian Gray as an innocent young male with exceptional beauty. He captures the eyes of characters like Basil Hallward and becomes a muse. However upon meeting Lord Henry Wotton, a friend of Basil’s, he becomes introduced to the…

In literary works, allusions exist in order to create deeper meanings within the text. When a reader recognizes and understands a reference, it allows them to appreciate the work on a different level. The Picture of Dorian Gray contains many parallels to the myth of Narcissus. Much like Narcissus, Dorian Gray is blessed with entrancing beauty, develops obsessive love for his own image, and wastes away due to that love. To begin with, both texts describe in detail how beautiful the young men are…

In the novel of The Death of Ivan Ilyich and The Picture of Dorian Gray, both main characters landed up in a place of desolation and unhappiness through their heavy pursuit of what they thought would give them happiness. Both characters started off young with a large potential for happiness by following their own individual pursuits, but instead the route that they took ultimately lead them down a slippery slope of tragedy and melancholy. They followed a way of denial from the factors that would…

Place of Oscar Wilde and The Picture of Dorian Gray Oscar Wilde was born on October 16, 1854 in Dublin, Ireland. The Picture of Dorian Gray is the only novel written by Oscar Wilde. The story first appeared in the 1890 summer edition of Lippencott’s Monthly Magazine. At the time, it was highly criticized for its immoral and scandalous content. Wilde revised the novel in 1891 before it was published by Ward, Lock, and Company. The story takes place in London, England during the 1890s in what is…

Society Corrupting Everyday People in The Picture of Dorian Grey Corruption: Perversion of integrity. Oscar Wilde tries throughout his novel The Picture of Dorain Grey to warn people about the corruption society is capable of. Oscar Wilde had experienced torment and brutality during his lifetime, due to the outcomes of people’s opinions of his work. It was thought that his novel was used as a way to “manipulate and corrupt young men with whom he had past history with,” (Watkin). This court…

One dominant theme in Wilde’s works was sexuality and sexual identity. Wilde was torn about his own. He was sexually interested in both genders and wanted to dwell in his unique identity without being defined by it, persecuted for it, or judged. He didn’t want his self to define his works or have people view his works through the lenses of his choices and inclinations. He also did not like the clean-cut identifications the people of his time had toward orientation. He felt like he did not fit in…