Paper On Oscar Wilde

         The novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, written by Oscar Wilde originally appeared in Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine in 1890.  It was then published in 1891, in book form, containing six additional chapters with revisions. The first reviews of Dorian Gray were mostly unfavorable.  It was condemned for its speculative treatment  of immoral or at least uncomfortable subjects. A review in the St. James’s Gazette by Samuel Henry Jeyes, journalist and biographer was titled "‘A Study in Puppydom."   Jeyes refers to Wilde’s idle, “effeminate” characters in the book and writes: “The puppies appear to fill up the intervals of talk by plucking daisies and playing with them, and

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde was first published in the Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine, in 1890, and after, in 1891, in book form. This story had a big repercussion in the society, mainly, caused by the moralism of the time¹, that was worried with people’s image, manners and behavior.

Him also doing this and having that internal conflict of expressing his feelings shows that in real life, he also had that struggle for a short amount of time. Until he led to his own arrest. ( “Oscar Wilde”

Oscar Wilde is known as one of the best playwrights and poets of the Victorian era. His works withstand the test of time, managing to be relatable to audiences now. He often used the figurative freedom of poetry to express his sexuality. His infatuation with Catholicism is reflected in much of his poetry. His struggle with his sexuality in the context of the Victorian era and his interest in Catholicism influenced his poetry. The recurring themes of religion and aesthetics display his struggle with the

In Wilde’s preface, which he wrote as an answer to critique when the novel first appeared, he claims that “there is no such thing as a moral or immoral book” (1). A book itself cannot be immoral the actions of the characters and how others react to the characters determine their morality. Furthermore, to fight the critique of his book being considered immoral, Wilde writes that “Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril. Those who read the symbol do so at their peril. It is the spectator, and not life, that art really mirrors” (Wilde 2). Wilde believes that the critics were reading too much into the book and not looking at themselves and seeing the flaws within themselves. That is the beauty of The Picture of Dorian Gray. Wilde

Oscar Wilde’s “The Picture of Dorian Gray” is considered a classic in literature. The novel was of a Gothic natural and it spoke of supernatural events. However, critics in the 19th century did not enjoy this novel at all. The novel was called “effeminate”, “unmanly” and “perverted". One well known review was published in the Scots Observer. The critic almost accused Oscar of gross indecency. The review went on to explain that the novel was “fit for none but outlawed noblemen and perverted telegraph boys”. Many rumors surfaced that suggested Oscar talked about blackmail and suicide in his novel. Other reviewers had the ame idea regarding this novel.

When first published in 1890, Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray was considered to be “scandalous and immoral” by Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine because of the homosexuality displayed in the story. During the time the book form of the story was released, Wilde started engaging in affairs with another man as his marriage was failing. The Picture of Dorian Gray reflects Wilde’s shifting sexuality during the 1890s through Dorian Gray’s relationship with Basil Hallward and Lord Henry Wotton.

Oscar Wilde wrote The Picture of Dorian Gray in 1890 during an era in British history when immoral actions and values were to be hidden. When the book was first published the issue of the main characters' -Dorian and Basil- sexualities, became a very pressing issue for the book not to be printed for the masses. The British culture, centered wholly on facades, wished to keep its reputation as being the most pure civilization and display its highest morals, even though there were the underlying problems that no one person would admit. The reason Oscar Wilde wrote these characters into existence the way they are is because in his own private life he was a homosexual (Bristow). This difference in sexuality allowed for the moral development of the

Oscar Wilde was an incredibly influential Irish poet, writer, and playwright that changed the way people wrote and the structure of writing. He was one of the greatest writers of the 18th century and possibly one of the greatest writers and wordsmiths of all time. His works earned many awards and high acclaim, even years after his death, leaving a legacy that most people would do anything for. He used a newfound way of writing and presented himself in a enigmatic and eccentric way. His clever and often dramatic writing, as well as his image and personal scandals, completely shook up the world of literature and art and keeps us shaking to this day.

     The Picture of Dorian Gray is a novel by Oscar Wilde. The genre of this novel can be classified as a comedy of manners or a gothic novel. The Picture of Dorian Gray was first published in 1890 in Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine. Another version with an additional six chapters was published in 1891. One of the major themes in the novel was the Supremacy of Beauty and Youth. A very attractive man has a portrait painted of himself, and after being warned of the mortality of his youth the man, Dorian, trades his soul to remain young while his portrait bears the markings of his age and evil deeds. Dorian becomes increasingly evil thoughout the novel, while constantly being encouraged by Lord

Oscar Wilde’s novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray was published in 1891. The novel reflects the authors carelessness and hastiness. The plot of the story is simple, however, the issues that come about are very complex. The novel is about three characters: Basil Hallward, Lord Henry, and Dorian Gray. In the beginning of the story, Basil paints a portrait of Dorian and gives it to him as a present. Lord Henry talks about the importance of being young and explains to Dorian how exhilarating it is to be young. As a result, Dorian begins to feel sad because he knows that one day he will grow old, but the picture will always remain young. Wilde uses this to set up a framework to examine some ideas

Many other scholars have noted Wilde’s thoughts on the purpose of art. Michele Mendelssohn writes in her “Henry James, Oscar Wilde, and Aesthetic Culture” that Wilde appears to be an “aesthete-for-hire” (90) and that his “purpose in the late 1880s and early 1890s was to shed this image and develop his own aesthetic ideals” (90). Ann W. Astell continues this idea in her “’My Life is a Work of Art’: Oscar Wilde’s Novelistic and Religious Conversion”. She writes that Wilde mimics the ideas of

Wilde was the poster-child of the men of the new aesthetic movement (Adut); “The men of the movement were wispy, narcissistic and solipsistic.”(Anderson). Wilde paraded on the indulgence of male beauty and that in the countered-face of Victorianism he acted vain and pretentious according to Himmelfarb, Wilde would not deny this but rather flaunt his vanity. This vanity coupled with his homosexuality made Wilde quite indiscrete. There is no denying that the aesthetes, (a person who affects and shapes the

The picture of Oscar Wilde is still fuzzy and incomplete but in the popular imagination, he remains an iconic, larger-than-life figure - largely because of his public persona and modus vivendi: He was a flamboyant dandy and a brilliant wit; a refined, decadent aes-thete. Professionally, he produced excellent prose pieces and composed arguably only mediocre poetry and he vociferously proposed unconventional theories about art and aesthetics. Yet, Wilde continues to be shrouded in this heavy fog of mystery. He is above all an inscrutable enigma. While he may at times give away the real and authen-tic nature of his complex self, at other times this self cunningly conceals itself behind a mask. In this sense, Wilde knew exactly how to transcend history with a strange, shad-owy presence that will

Oscar Wilde was an author, poet, and playwright during the late Victorian era who was famous for his wit and the flamboyance of his work. He was born on October 16, 1854, in Dublin, Ireland. His parents were William Wilde and Jane Francesca Elgee. William Wilde was well known for his ear and eye surgery skills and he was knighted for the work he put toward the Irish medical census. William Wilde was also the founder of St. Mark’s Ophthalmic Hospital, a hospital that catered to the needs of the poor (“Biography”). Oscar’s mother, Jane Francesca Elgee, was a poet who also translated the English version of Sidonia the Sorceress. His parents’ talents were a part of the reason Oscar Wilde was successful in school, especially in classics and writing. He earned various awards and scholarships, including “Trinity College’s Foundation Scholarship, the highest honor awarded to undergraduates” (“Oscar Wilde”). The year of his graduation from the university, Oscar won the Newdigate Prize for his poem, Ravenna.