The Picture of Dorian Gray ~ Oscar Wilde (1891)

Oscar Wilde’s most controversial work, The Picture of Dorian Gray, is a Gothic classic but a work with which I found difficulty. The story follows young Dorian Gray who possesses the most powerful weapons: youth and beauty. For his aestheticism, he is admired by all around him, especially Basil Hallward and Lord Henry. It is the aristocratic Lord Henry which raises my biggest issue with the novel as it appears that between every two pages, Lord Henry professes the joys and benefits of youth and beauty which while it is a key theme of the novel, it is presented so directly and frequently that his didactic rants become repetitive. He does not add to his abundant quantity of speeches and where the novel is already short, this repetitive devise consumes more space which could be used otherwise. These sections largely lift the novel out of the context of the story as this could be an essay of Wilde’s but we read the story hoping to follow Dorian Gray but his role in the story is often limited making him an uninteresting protagonist. It is towards the latter half of the novel when the elements of the Gothic settle that interest is roused again for the narrative as Gray’s actions show an impact on his portrait where the sins he commits tarnishes the imitation of him; the picture acts as a metaphorical mirror of Gray’s soul which ages and falls into decline whereas the physical body does not. This is the most interesting and valuable feature of the novel as it has endured as a Gothic image which combines terror with the corruption and spirituality which can be used as a metaphor of the conscience. The picture can also be used as a tool to discover Gray’s psyche as he is one of the few to see the changing picture, he may be insane and convinces himself that he is young. Aesthetically he may have changed but he disbelieves it and while this is an interesting reading of the novel, which would make it more terrifying, after editing the final publication, Wilde included various added sections; one in particular in which Gray disproves his identity by his youth. The other characters are convinced, therefore the effects seem realistic, and the painting has truly aged while he has not. Prior to his editing, this would have been a more interesting route of the nature of the painting and the protagonist. The picture keeps the novel, like Dorian, young as it is still recognised as one of the key Gothic texts and while repetitive techniques are used which oppress the novel, the images and premise of the story immortalise its success and impact.