User:Umamasuriya/The Picture of Dorian Gray

Major Themes:

Homoeroticism (Jess):


 * Homoerotic Codes in The Picture of Dorian Gray
 * Note from Umama: Mention Oscar Wilde being homosexual and his imprisonment for being so, and why this is one of the major themes that are implied especially considering his background. Look at Sexuality section in the Dracula example above to see an example of how it’s structured.

Gender Roles (Jess):



Morality (Naisha):


 * Manganiello, Dominic. "Ethics and Aesthetics in" The Picture of Dorian Gray"." The Canadian Journal of Irish Studies (1983): 25-33. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/25512571.pdf?casa_token=q5K6MSC6LX4AAAAA:9DdHWwXFWDLe3LlWKekCrZ6t3akP8S8zFQTxTwuva_EyCLZ9DiBMUEGBzCJpPad6VA7E5fwce52DHQ_cl7zzc3Xk9WiDMPeQtrwi3I3KrlhOAmtz95vj

Society & Influence (Naisha):


 * Liebman, Sheldon W. "Character Design in" The Picture of Dorian Gray"." Studies in the Novel 31.3 (1999): 296-316. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/25512571.pdf?casa_token=q5K6MSC6LX4AAAAA:9DdHWwXFWDLe3LlWKekCrZ6t3akP8S8zFQTxTwuva_EyCLZ9DiBMUEGBzCJpPad6VA7E5fwce52DHQ_cl7zzc3Xk9WiDMPeQtrwi3I3KrlhOAmtz95vj

Art (Umama):


 * https://doi.org/10.1086/392452
 * Peters, John G. "Style and Art in Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray: Form as Content." Victorian Review, vol. 25 no. 1, 1999, p. 1-13. Project MUSE, https://doi.org/10.1353/vcr.1999.0012.
 * Despite the obvious correlation of art with the paintings of Basil of Dorian Gray, Art is viewed as a BLAH BLAH in this novel.
 * The Preface and it’s use of art: “

Youth and Beauty (Umama):


 * Through the portrait of himself, Dorian Gray preserves his youth and beauty
 * The Preface and its use of youth and beauty:

Homoerotism and gender roles
The novel's representation of homoeroticism is subtle yet present by presenting itself through interactions between male characters in a way that challenges the strict social norms of Victorian England. The novel begins with a conversation between Dorian and Basil, where Basil reveals his artistic admiration for Dorian, setting the scene for a story with themes such as beauty, art, and the consequences of vanity. This initial interaction not only introduces the characters but also foreshadows the complicated relationship between the artist and his muse.

Similarly, gender roles plays a subtle impact in the novel by influencing the relationships between characters and forming their expectations and behaviors. While the novel mainly focuses on on male characters, the expectations of masculinity and the critique of the Victorian ideal of manhood are seen throughout the narrative. Dorian himself, with his eternal youth and beauty, challenges traditional male roles and the slow decay of his portrait reflects the deception of societal expectations. Additionally, the few female characters in the story, such as Sybil Vane, are portrayed in ways that critique the limited roles and harsh judgments reserves for women during that era.

Morality and Societal Influence
Throughout the novel, Wilde delves deeply into the theme of morality and influence, exploring how societal values, individual relationships, and personal choices intersect to shape one's own moral compass. Dorian initially falls under Lord Henry's influence and "narcissistic perspective on art and life," despite Basil's warnings, but "eventually recognizes its limitations." Through Lord Henry's dialogue, Wilde is suggesting, as Dominic Manganiello points out, that creating art inacts the innate ability to conjure criminal impulses. Moreover, Dorian's immersion in the elite social circles of Victorian London exposes him to a culture of superficiality and moral hypocrisy. Sheldon W. Liebman would also agree, and offers the example of Wilde's inclusion of a great psychological intellect held by Lord Henry. before Sybil's death, Henry was also a firm believer in vanity as the pure origin of a human being's irrationality. This concept is broken for Henry after Sybil is found dead, the irony being that Dorian is the cause of her death and his motives are exactly as Lord Henry has taught them to him.

The novel presents other relationships that influence Dorian's way of life and his perception of the world, proving the influence on a person when they are fed through society's whims and wishes. While Lord Henry is clearly a persona that fascinates and captures Dorian Gray's attention, Manganiello also suggests that Basil's relationship with Gray, through his dialogue, is also a person that my "evoke a change of heart." However, at this point in The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian has spent far too much time under Lord Henry's wing and is now able to brush Basil off in "appositeness," leading Basil to claim that a man has no soul but the art does. Dorian's tragic journey serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of succumbing to the temptations of hedonism and moral relativism, highlighting the importance of personal responsibility and moral accountability in navigating the complexities of human existence.

Legacy and Adaptations
Main articles: Adaptations of The Picture of Dorian Gray and Music based on the works of Oscar Wilde § The Picture of Dorian Gray

Though not initially a widely appreciated component of Wilde's body of work following his death in 1900, The Picture of Dorian Gray has come to attract a great deal of academic and popular interest, and has been the subject of many adaptations to film and stage.

In 1913, it was adapted to the stage by writer G. Constant Lounsbery at London's Vaudeville Theatre. In the same decade, it was the subject of several silent film adaptations. Perhaps the best-known and most critically praised film adaptation is 1945's The Picture of Dorian Gray, which earned an Academy Award for best black-and-white cinematography, as well as a Best Supporting Actress nomination for Angela Lansbury, who played Sibyl Vane.

In 2003, Stuart Townsend played Dorian Gray in the film League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. In 2009, the novel was loosely adapted into the film Dorian Gray, starring Ben Barnes as Dorian and Colin Firth as Lord Henry. Reeve Carney portrays Dorian Gray in John Logan's Penny Dreadful, which aired on Showtime from 2014 to 2016.

The Dorian Award is named in honor of Wilde, in reference to The Picture of Dorian Gray; the original award was a simple certificate with an image of Wilde along with a graphic of hands holding a black bow tie. The first Dorian Awards were announced in January 2010 (nominees were revealed the previous month).