The picture of Dorian Grey
The picture of Dorian Grey is a novel written by Oscar
Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde who is popularly known as Oscar Wilde. In the
preface, Dorian Gray explains that the artist is free of ethical sympathies and
morbidity. He describes art as “quite useless” and books as either “well
written” or “badly written”, never moral or immoral.
The picture of Dorian Grey is about Dorian Gray, who is a
young and handsome man. His friend Lord Henry takes him to a painter named
Basil Hallward who makes a picture of Dorian. A fascinating picture that made
Dorian wish he would stop aging. Basil Hallward put his heart and soul into the
painting and even fell in love with Dorian in the process of the painting. The
picture made Dorian Grey wish he’d never age and his wish came to pass. As time
went on, the picture started aging and he maintained his youth. But we all know
that there are consequences to these things.
In the course of the book, he fell in love with an actress
who was a cast in Shakespearean plays. She acted Juliet, Cordellia and Rosalind
on different nights. Her name was Sybil Vane. In the long run, Sybil Vane
poisoned herself when Dorian broke up with her. This single act led to the poem
titled Sybil Vane by LARDO where she expressed her love for this character and
her sadness on the loss. Check the link below to listen.
Reading the book brings you really close to the characters.
It feels more like a drama than a novel. Also, Wilde is someone who has skill
in brevity; as a result, the descriptions are in poetic details and are wrapped
in warm and humorous conversations throughout the novel.
MAIN CHARACTERS
DORIAN GREY: He is the main character. The book revolves
around a secret pact that Dorian makes and the subsequent destruction of his
soul.
BASIL HALLWARD: The artist who paints the fascinating
picture of Dorian. He is somewhat secretive but decent man who tries to be a
good friend. Dorian kills Basil in a moment of self-centered hysteria.
LORD HENRY: He was named “prince Paradox” by Dorian. He
serves as Dorian’s mentor and he encourages Dorian to live a life of pleasure.
He speaks mostly of brilliant aphorisms that appear in the novel and a lot of
readers compare his performance in conversations to that of Wilde himself.
SYBIL VANE: A poor, beautiful 17 year old actress who adores
Dorian as her “Prince charming” and eventually commits suicide because of him.
THEME
This book addresses not just one theme. The main themes of
the book are subject of beauty as it appears to the eye youth and sin. Wilde
reveals the tenderness of self-love or narcissism which sometimes fails to find
an object outside itself. Dorian, Basil and Lord Henry all had their beauty in
different aspects, i.e. Dorian’s was facial, Basil’s beauty was his art and
Lord Henrys was his social status, but Dorian’s was more vulnerable to decay
with time. Some other numerous targets that Wilde aims to target are Women,
America, Faithfulness, Stupidity, Marriage, Romance, weather and humanity.
Review Compiled by Adekunbi Lardo
© Book-Troverts
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