Free Essays on Picture of Dorian Gray: Tthe Seduction of the Reader :: The Picture of Dorian Gray Essays

The Picture of Dorian Gray and the Seduction of the Reader   To wear out art and conceal the artist is arts aim, writes Oscar Wilde in the famous preface of his classic novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. peerless might find it a indorsement ironic the fact that posterity always has looked upon this book as being more or less an autobiography.   Wilde was encircled by scandals until his death, stirring the strict, Victorian fellowship he lived in with his homosexual bent and libertine views on sprightliness. The Picture of Dorian Gray was therefore alike regarded by many people as highly immoral and has probably earned the title classic years after the authors death.   With rarely less than twain cogent aphorisms per page, it is hard not purpose myriads of subtle meanings in the text, why I am only focusing on the main themes I demonstrate interesting.   The obsession of aestheticism and beauty runs wholly by the story in a kind of contradictory way. Osca r Wilde states in the preface Those who find ugly meanings in elegant things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault.      Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope.   With this he means that one should not, for example, judge a piece of art on a moral basis the art is only there for being aesthetically admired and one should only be enchanted with its beauty, not let oneself be misled by a deeper idea behind it.    At the same time, he lets his protagonist Dorian Gray contract the penalty for his narcissistic behaviour by killing him off at the end of the book, giving the reader the opposite message - that beauty after all is nothing to strive for. Also, Wilde lets the painting of Dorian become a symbol of the young mans degeneration, showing very well the immorality of his life through a work of art. It is like Wilde means to enounce us that art indeed has its important place among p eople, and beauty is seducing to the viewer. However it is temporary, dangerous, and powerful enough to spoil the life of a man. One must cheat how to look upon beauty to be able to love it without succumbing to it. As Oscar Wilde was a confirmed aesthete himself, this conclusion whitethorn appear paradoxical, but it should be mentioned that not much in this book is not.Free Essays on Picture of Dorian Gray Tthe Seduction of the Reader The Picture of Dorian Gray Essays The Picture of Dorian Gray and the Seduction of the Reader   To reveal art and conceal the artist is arts aim, writes Oscar Wilde in the famous preface of his classic novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. One might find it a bit ironic the fact that posterity always has looked upon this book as being more or less an autobiography.   Wilde was surrounded by scandals until his death, stirring the strict, Victorian society he lived in with his homosexual bent and libertine views on life. The Picture of Dorian Gr ay was therefore also regarded by many people as highly immoral and has probably earned the title classic years after the authors death.   With rarely less than two cogent aphorisms per page, it is hard not finding myriads of subtle meanings in the text, why I am only focusing on the main themes I found interesting.   The obsession of aestheticism and beauty runs all through the story in a kind of contradictory way. Oscar Wilde states in the preface Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault.      Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope.   With this he means that one should not, for example, judge a piece of art on a moral basis the art is only there for being aesthetically admired and one should only be enchanted with its beauty, not let oneself be misled by a deeper idea behind it.    At the same time, he lets his protagonist Dor ian Gray suffer the penalty for his narcissistic behaviour by killing him off at the end of the book, giving the reader the opposite message - that beauty after all is nothing to strive for. Also, Wilde lets the painting of Dorian become a symbol of the young mans degeneration, showing very well the immorality of his life through a work of art. It is like Wilde means to tell us that art indeed has its important place among people, and beauty is seducing to the viewer. However it is temporary, dangerous, and powerful enough to spoil the life of a man. One must know how to look upon beauty to be able to love it without succumbing to it. As Oscar Wilde was a confirmed aesthete himself, this conclusion may appear paradoxical, but it should be mentioned that not much in this book is not.