The Picture Of Dorian Gray: Research and Analysis Paper
Few ideas are considered important when discussing the Victorian era; two main ideas stand out throughout the period, which are the importance of art and perfection in a personality. One Historian said, “The Victorian era ushered in great literary and poetic works from famous artist who published their masterpieces in the Americas. Aestheticism, a movement emphasizing artistic values over social or moral themes and popularized by Oscar Wilde [sic]” (The Victorian Era).
The importance of art is shown in many literary works describing the Victorian era and especially in those of Wilde. George P. Landow, a Professor of English and the History of Art at Brown University, referring to the importance of art as “their importance derives from the increasing democratization of the art public in Victorian England.” This shows how art is important in everyday society. The same can be said for Oscar Wilde and The Picture Of Dorian Gray. Through vivid imagery and illuminating symbolism, Wilde shows the importance of art and perfection in Victorian lifestyles.
Sibyl Vane exemplifies the idealistic perfection that everyone in the Victorian era tries to live up to. On page 50 Dorian is talking about when he first meets Sibyl Vane, upon first sight he says, “She was the loveliest thing I have ever seen in my life” (Wilde).
The Essay on Victorian Art Impressionism Artists Realism
The Victorian era was a beautiful time. It was full of highly sophisticated people, not including the artists. The artists of the Victorian era were more to the common people that stood out. Most of the artists back then weren't as big as they are now. They differed in so many ways trying to be individuals. In this, the works would all be outlining subjects but they differed a great deal. Artists ...
He has never talked to her before, but Dorian just believes she is perfect because of the way she acts, and because she is perfect Dorian falls madly in love with her. The writer from Victoria’s Past says, “looking deeper for the acquirements which serve to form our ideal of a perfect woman. The companion of man should be able to sympathize with him and her intellect should be as well developed as his. We do not believe in the mental inequality of the sexes; we believe that the man and the woman have each a work to do, for which they are specially qualified, and in which they are called to excel” (A Wife’s Need).
This states that a wife should perform duties to support her husband. In other words, she should do things like dance, cook, or clean. Dorian Naturally believes Vane behaves this way because he has never met her before. At the end of chapter five Dorian finds out the truth about Vane and breaks up with her.
Dorian only likes Vane because he thinks she is perfect. Wilde uses this to make a statement that society will destroy something the moment it realizes that it is not perfect. The Victorian era is considered a time of progress and improvement. Dorian does not want to be associated with something imperfect so he says, “You have killed my love. You used to stir my imagination. Now you don’t even stir my curiosity. You simply have no effect. You are shallow and stupid” (Wilde 85).
This quote shows that the only reason Dorian does not like vane is because she is not the best actress in the world. Wilde is making a statement that the Victorians wanted a perfect society. Melissa Rader says “Victorians did not want anything “unclean” or “unacceptable” to interfere with their idea of perfection” (Rader).
After reading this, one can see how important perfection was to the Victorians. In addition to perfection art also shows its importance throughout the literary work.
The artwork is the novel symbolizes the importance of art in the Victorian era. The main example of this is the picture of Dorian Gray. This picture means so much to Dorian that he stabs the picture in order to destroy it. He says, ”Once it had given him pleasure to watch it changing and growing old. Of late he had felt no such pleasure. It had kept him awake at night” (Wilde 212).
The Essay on The Theme Of Decadence In The Picture Of Dorian Grey By Oscar Wilde
Staring from the definition found in the dictionary, the decadence is a literary movement especially of late 19th-century France and England characterized by refined aestheticism, artifice, and the quest for new sensations. [1] In decadence, important is not necessarily what is seen, but the hermeneutics: what man feels when he sees the creative result of this feeling. It is the current that ...
Dorian is referring to the painting and how it means so much to him that he is willing to cut up this amazing work of art. At the beginning of this book, Lord Henry turns around to see Dorian for the first time. He immediately says,” “I turned half way around and saw Dorian Gray for the first time. I knew that I had come face to face with someone whose mere personality was so fascinating that, if I allowed it to do so, it would absorb my whole nature, my whole soul, my very art itself” (Wilde 7).
This quote shows that art is so important that it makes up his soul and acts like some kind of force inside of him.
All in all, Oscar Wilde writes an amazing novel that perfectly juxtaposes art and perfection and their importance in Victorian society. “The Victorian era ushers in great literary and poetic works from writers such as George Eliot, Joseph Conrad… and Mark Twain published their masterpieces in the Americas” (The Victorian Era).
Without the Victorian Era’s obsession with art and perfection, we would not have many of the great literary works that we are so fortunate have today.
Works Cited
Landow, George P. “Victorian Art Criticism and the Rise of a Middle-Class Audience.” The Victorian Web. N.p., 2000. Web. 3 Oct. 2011. <http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/ruskin/finearts/criticism1.html>.
Milne, Ira Mark, and Timothy Sisler. “Robert Boyle.” Gale Virtual Reference library. Gale, 2007. Web. 3 Oct. 2011. <http://go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&inPS=true&prodId=GVRL&userGroupName=moor89062&resultListType=RELATED_DOCUMENT&contentSegment=&docId=GALE|CX3421300018#158>.
Rader, Melissa. “Oscar Wilde.” Victorias Past. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Oct. 2011. <http://www.victoriaspast.com/OscarWilde/OscarWilde.htm>.
“The Victorian Era (1837 – 1901).” Eras of Elegance. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2011. <http://www.erasofelegance.com/history/victorianarts.html>.
“A Wife’s Need.” Victorias Past. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2011. <http://www.victoriaspast.com/LifeofVictorianWoman/LifeofVictorianWoman.html>.
Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. 1891. New York, New York : Penguin Group, 2001. Print.
The Dissertation on Baroques Art Sites
Baroques Art Sites Art History Resources http://witcombe.sbc.edu/ARTHbaroque.html This page is an art history page of a large site created by Dr. Christopher Witcomb : http://witcombe.sbc.edu/Witcombe.table.html The larger site covers the whole range of art history. I cannot begin to describe what is available on this site, which must have been a huge work of love. The site includes high ...
