A Comparison of Oscar Wilde and Dorian Gray Essay

A Comparison of Oscar Wilde and Dorian Gray One novel that stands out as literary masterpiece is The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Wilde wrote a dark tale of a man, Dorian Gray, who destroys his life by exchanging his soul for eternal youth and beauty. The character of Dorian Gray, in many aspects, mirrors the self-destruction of the authors own life. Therefore, Oscar Wilde portrays his own life through Dorian Gray, the main character of the novel. Oscar Fingal O Flahertie Wills Wilde is one of Birtains most well known authors. What many people do not know is that the life story of Oscar Wilde has become...one of the tragic legends of the ages (Broad v). Wilde was born in 1854 in Dublin, Ireland to Sir William†¦show more content†¦Although he enjoyed married life, he became more attracted to men rather than women, and he became lovers with Lord Alfred Douglas, the son of the Marquessof Queensbury. Lord Douglas father was thought to be insane and also became very adament about trying to save his son from Wildes inflluence. The Marquess threatened Wilde to stay away from his son, and in retaliation, Wilde sued Queensbury for criminal libel. Wildes plan backfired, and he was tried twice and convicted during the second trial for being a homosexual. He was sentenced to two years in prison. As soon as Wilde was imprisoned, rumors began circulating that he was suffering from a serious mental breakdown (Hyde 33). Soon after Wi lde was released from prison, his life started to really get tough. Wilde was considered to be an alcoholic. He was always drinking, probably to escape the problems going on in his life, and eventually his drinking caused him liver damage. Lord Alfred Douglas abandoned him; whereupon Wilde wrote the book De Profundis a long letter condemning Lord Alfred Douglas and explaining his own life. Although Wilde and Lord Douglas rejoined in 1897, they seperated again in 1898. The aesthetic movement in art that Wilde had worked so hard for even suffered a setback as a result of the antigay backlach against Oscar Wilde. His marriage did not work out, of course as a result of his homosexuality, andShow MoreRelatedThe Picture Of Dorian Gray1680 Words   |  7 PagesAt the height of his success, Oscar Wilde wrote his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, which follows the life of a young man living in late nineteenth-century London. The novel shares a similar storyline with that of Wilde’s l ife, as Wilde wrote it in attempt to justify his homosexuality. The protagonist of the novel, Dorian Gray, enters the story an innocent man, but eventually becomes corrupt due to his need for instant pleasure. Wilde recognizes that the topic of his homosexuality brings up theRead MoreLord Henry s Manipulation Corrupting Dorian Gray1633 Words   |  7 PagesManipulation Corrupting Dorian Gray   In the eyes of Lord Henry, there is no such thing as a good influence, all influence is immoral (Wilde, 8)   meaning that anything being said is neutral; however, that person uses that information is the leading factor of manipulation and corruption.   Lord Henry is the prime instigator and had motive for turning Dorian into a destructive monster, opposite his naturally shy and youthful soul. Author, Oscar Wilde, uses Lord Henry in Picture of Dorian Gray to show how theRead MoreThe Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Dorian Gray Essay918 Words   |  4 PagesCase of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Dorian Gray The novel The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was written by Robert L. Stevenson and first published in 1886. The years from 1837 to 1901 are considered the Victorian Era, so the novel is considered a Victorian novel. Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde is written in the same era as Dr Jekyll and is a Victorian Novel as well. Having read the extracts of the novels and knowing what happens in the end, a comparison of the Victorian Era and the novelsRead MoreModern Society As A Reflection Of The Picture Of Dorian Gray By Oscar Wilde1432 Words   |  6 Pagessuch as Oscar Wilde’s only novel The Picture of Dorian Gray have incited modern adaptations and the appropriation of these texts into modern culture. This text display cultural and literary disciplines entrenched in superficial concepts that have since become common in today’s shallow society. Contemporary texts such as the 2004 film The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen (based on the comic book of the same name) directed by Stephen Norrington, not only visualise the character of Dorian Gray but alsoRead MoreOscar Wilde s The Picture Of Dorian Gray1295 Words   |  6 Pages It is apparent that vanity, sin, and beauty are the key elements found in The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. But, where do these elements originate from? W hat is the reason behind man’s internal need to pursue sin or his ideal sense of beauty that, on occasion, leads to his vanity? In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde explores naturalism through the use of symbolism and the tools of characterization, such as speech, action, interiority, the narrator, and the actions of other charactersRead MoreModern Society as a Reflection of the Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde1460 Words   |  6 Pagessuch as Oscar Wilde’s only novel The Picture of Dorian Gray have incited modern adaptations and the appropriation of these texts into modern culture. This text display cultural and literary disciplines entrenched in superficial concepts that have since become common in today’s shallow society. Contemporary texts such as the 2004 film The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen (based on the comic book of the same name) directed by Stephen Norrington, not only visualise the character of Dorian Gray but alsoRead MoreAesthetici sm in The Picture of Dorian Gray Essay2257 Words   |  10 Pagesstandards being secondary† (â€Å"Aestheticism,† def. 1 and 2). In Oscar Wilde’s sole novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, aestheticism is a fashionable belief accepted by society at the time. Oscar Wilde uses the moral deterioration and ultimate destruction of Dorian Gray in The Picture of Dorian Gray to emphasize the negative effects of society’s preoccupation with aesthetics and offer a moral for the reader. In this novel, Oscar Wilde displays Dorian’s moral corrosion negatively in order to convinceRead MoreThe Picture of Dorian Gray 1823 Words   |  8 Pagesis the most important aspect of life. In the picture of Dorian Gray, Aestheticism and Hedonism are very active philosophies used by the novel’s characters. Lord Henry influences Dorian to follow these teachings, and as a result Dorian becomes intensely vain and selfish. The portrait is in direct correlation with the immoral influence and the intense vanity. In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde effectively uses the portrait of Dorian Gray as a symbol to satirize the adverse effects that socialRead MoreThe Picture Of Dorian Gray By Oscar Wilde1523 Words   |  7 PagesReader Response Entry #6: Chapters 10-11 The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde was not received well by critics when it was published in 1890. This was because it contained themes of homosexuality and was considered scandalous. Now, it is just considered a philosophical novel dealing with morals. I think that this book would very much be viewed as indecent in Wilde’s time. For example, when talking about Dorian’s public image, Wilde writes, â€Å"Society--civilized society, at least--is never veryRead MoreThe Picture Of Dorian Gray1301 Words   |  6 PagesIn Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray we experience the themes of loss, greed, and immortality. These theme’s are the surface level aspects that one can easily attain to, but what is the true visual that Wilde is portraying is the corruption of egotism which correlates to the greed of immortality. Influence can skew an individuals mind, and make them believe things that aren’t true, in the story Lord Henry is this influence, and throughout we see how Dorian changes from his presence. Greed