By Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde's only novel The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891) is a classic instance of the aestheticism of the late 19th century's English literature. The maxim of aestheticism "art for art's sake" is reflected in the opening of the novel, which specifies art's aim to "reveal the art and conceal the artist."
For greater emphasis, Wilde defines the artist as free of ethical sympathies and morbidity. Even books are seen as only "well written" or "badly written" and not as moral or amoral. Following this prelude on art and beauty, Wilde weaves a plot that explores the issue to its core.
The plot of The Picture of Dorian Gray, if seen apart from the wit and epigrams of Lord Henry is serious and, at times, even somber. Dorian Gray is a young and handsome man whose well-off friend Lord Henry takes him to an art-loving painter, Basil Hallward. The painter makes a picture of Dorian Gray, a fascinating piece that makes Dorian wish to stop aging. His wish is fulfilled and the picture starts aging instead of young Dorian.
The consequence is a disaster. Oscar Wilde has created an amusing tale that does not end very happily but ends beautifully with our easy-going Lord Henry still chirping
He describes some scenes in words that evoke a vivid image in the reader's mind. Perhaps the best of these is Dorian Gray's brief journey through the dark and filthy streets that stand in an obtrusive contrast to his luxurious entourage but which also bear a remarkable resemblance to the kind of life he has embraced.
The character description and motivation are again left mainly to the perceptual capacity of the readers. Wilde is always testing the aesthetics of his readers and the easier you go with his characters' disposition, the greater insight you gain.
The philosophical boundaries of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray are too deep to track to their ends. The novel addresses the issue of self-concept as portrayed in art. Further, it connects a person's emotional response to his/her own image. While Dorian remains young and beautiful, the mere sight of an aging picture of him is unbearably painful.
It would be too presumptuous to conclude that The Picture of Dorian Gray is a work of beauty with no moralistic purpose. Wilde was not a moralist (as many of us already know) and within the book, there is not much to emphasize a moral code or right conduct. But the novel, in its covert meaning, is not without a moral lesson. We can easily see that beauty is ephemeral and any attempt to deny this fact is amoral. It brings ruin as shows the case of Dorian Gray.
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