“Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter…it is rather the painter who, on the coloured canvas, reveals himself.”
This captivating quote encapsulates the very crux of Oscar Wilde’s 1891 novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. The somewhat autobiographical text illustrates the archetypal concept of the struggle between saintly and temporal impulses in the story of Dorian Gray, a young and handsome Englishman whose soul becomes suspended in a portrait painted by an intimate friend, Basil Hallward. When the enigmatic Lord Henry Wotton flings Dorian into a world of hedonism and corruption, tensions arise as Dorian’s behavior and character suffer drastic alterations. If you have been contemplating giving the classic genre a chance, try this masterful literary exhibition which combines both romance and philosophy!
The elements that contribute to The Picture of Dorian Gray’s renown include its rhetoric-charged prose and masterful synthesis of various literary movements. Wilde’s writing is beautifully, serenely loquacious, implementing a contemplative mood that a reader can’t help but give themselves over to. The text integrates characteristics of both the Aestheticism and Post-Romanticism movement. The former revolves around the ideology that art exists simply to be lovely and that it holds no political implications. As for the latter, it analyzes concepts such as introspection and institutes an upheaval of the societal “norm.” Both of these elements are what truly make The Picture of Dorian Gray so unique- its paradoxical existence of emphasizing both non-meaning and societal commentary.
I simply cannot recommend this book enough. This novel has been my absolute favorite for two years. Sybil Vane, an actress in the novel who is renowned for her devotion to Shakespearean acting and idealistic view of the world, is my favorite literary heroine. I sincerely hope that reading this novel will be as impactful and enjoyable for you as it was for me.
If you find that you adore this novel, I have some recommendations for your next reads! If you liked the themes of introspection and corruption, try Faust by Goethe, a German play. If you find that it was Wilde’s writing style that captivated you, consider reading his plays! Happy reading!