Wilde believed that art has its own value.
That it is beautiful and therefore has worth, and it can serve no other purpose either political or moral
Genre of his novel
- Gothic
- Philosophical
- Comedy of manners
THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY
-His only novel
First appear in the magazine and was criticized as scandalous and immoral
O.W was very disappointed with its reception
THEMES
- The purpose of Art
- The supremacy (importance0 of Youth and Beauty
- The superficial Nature (Criticism) of society
- The negative Consequences of Influence
The author touches upon many problems of contemporary life: morality, art and beauty in particular.
The end of the book is a contradiction to Wilde’s decadent theory.
The death of DG shows the triumph of real beauty- a piece of art created y an artist, a unity of form and content.
MAIN CHARACTER: Dorian Gray: the handsome young man who becomes a hedonist and indulges in moral and immoral pleasure. Lord Henry Wotton: the high-society intellectual who corrupts Dorian. He is a nobleman and a close friend of Basil Hallward. He is witty, always criticizing the moralism and hypocrisy of Victorian society. He plays a important role in Dorian’s development.
Basil Hallward: an artist and a friend of Lord Henry. Basil becomes obsessed with Dorian after meeting him at a party. Dorian also helps Basil to paints the portrait of Dorian which is his masterpiece. He wants Dorian to stay youthful and beautiful and act as his muse. His painting sets the story into motion.
Sibyl Vane: the beautiful and talented actress with whom Dorian falls in love.
Words:
Decadent theory decadency
Degraded Degradation
To corrupt
Hedonist
Immoral immorality
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