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Dorian Gray

The Aesthetic Movement, initiated in France, emphasized 'Art for Art's Sake' as a reaction against materialism, with key figures like Gautier, Keats, and Pater advocating for art's autonomy from morality. Oscar Wilde, a prominent proponent of this movement, produced notable works including 'The Picture of Dorian Gray,' which explores themes of beauty, hedonism, and the consequences of vanity. The novel follows Dorian Gray's descent into corruption, where his portrait bears the marks of his moral decay while he remains outwardly youthful, ultimately leading to his tragic demise.

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26 views1 page

Dorian Gray

The Aesthetic Movement, initiated in France, emphasized 'Art for Art's Sake' as a reaction against materialism, with key figures like Gautier, Keats, and Pater advocating for art's autonomy from morality. Oscar Wilde, a prominent proponent of this movement, produced notable works including 'The Picture of Dorian Gray,' which explores themes of beauty, hedonism, and the consequences of vanity. The novel follows Dorian Gray's descent into corruption, where his portrait bears the marks of his moral decay while he remains outwardly youthful, ultimately leading to his tragic demise.

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giuliamaria.tripodi
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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The Aesthetic Movement began in France with Gautier and reflected the artist's reaction

against the materialism and the restrictive moral code of the bourgeoisie. French artists
“escaped” into aesthetic isolation into what Gautier defined “ Art for Art’s Sake”
The Aesthetic Movement in England found its greatest exponents in the poets John Keats
and Walter Pater. Pater’s works were a huge success, he rejected religious faith and
claimed that art was the only means to stop the flow of time. He thought that life should be
lived as a work of art. The artist’s task was to experience sensations and transcribe them.
The arts had no interest in morality and should not be didactic.
Pater’s works had. Deep influence on the poets, especially Oscar Wilde.
The characteristics of aesthetic works are: evocative use of language, detachment with
contemporary society, excessive attention to oneself, hedonistic attitude.

OSCAR WILDE

Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin in 1854, he was sent by his father to Oxford where he
graduated in classical studies and became a disciple of Walter Pater accepting the theory of
'Art for Art. In 1881 Wilde became famous and published a collection entitled Poems and
began a lecture tour in the United States. In 1883 he returned to Europe where he married
Constance Lloyd, at this point of his career he was appreciated as a great orator. In 1891 he
published his masterpiece called “The picture of Dorian Gray”
He was tried for homosexuality and forced to work for two years, and died in 1900.
Wilde adopted the artistic ideal, he lived the double role of rebel and dandy, the dandy of
Wilde is an aristocrat whose elegance is a symbol of the superiority of his spirit.

“THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY”

This novel is set in London at the end of 19th century. The protagonist is Dorian Gray, a
young beautiful man. Her beauty was appreciated by a painter named Basil who decided to
paint her portrait. Under the influence of Lord Wotton begins a life of pleasures and feelings
but corrupt. The signs of age and vice do not appear on Dorian but on his portrait. Dorian
takes advantage of everyone by letting people die because of his insensitivity.
When the painter sees the corrupt image of the portrait Dorian later kills him Dorian wants to
get rid of the portrait and stabs him but thereby killing himself. At the very moment of
Dorian’s death, the painting returns to its original purity.
The main characters are Dorian who represents the ideal of youth and beauty and
innocence. When he first appears in the novel, immature Dorian is influenced by Lord Henry
and begins a quest for pleasures and sensations. In the end his vanity and selfishness ruin
him. Lord Watson is a brilliant orator and is able to influence Dorian but as the story
progresses.
Basil is an intellectual who falls in love with the beauty of Dorian does not want to expose the
painting because he is afraid that it will reflect his attraction for Dorian at the end is killed by
it.
Begin becomes a sad example of how a good artist can be destroyed. This story is told by a
third-person narrator and Dorian appears only in the second chapter.

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