The Picture of Dorian Gray - Literature review Example

FASHION HISTORY (Your teacher’s due 1 The Picture of Dorian Gray The picture of Dorian gray is the only published novel of Oscar Wilde. However, it firstly emerged as a lead article in Lippincott’s monthly magazine. Later, this version was further revised, in which new alterations and chapters were supplemented in this novel. The basic theme of this novel is the portrait ages of Dorian Gray, who is a juvenile and attractive person (Buckler 1990, p.89). Summary of the picture Dorian Gray had two acquaintances i.e. dandy Lord Henry, an educational friend and Basil Hall ward, a painter. Basil was more encouraged to create a painting of Dorian. Dorian had great wisdom towards both of them and had a will to be young forever. Dorian falls in love with a performer i.e. Sibyl Vane, she was an artist in Shakespeare plays. Both of them planned to get married. After sometimes Sibyl loses her simulating charm, due to which Dorian refuses her. In result she commits suicide. After all this issues, a change occurs in the nature of Dorian and he becomes cruel. Dorian had a life full of corruption including sexual pleasures, both good as well as bad. His portrait was going through the phase of aging, but his facade made him look younger. Basil attempts to change him but Dorian acknowledges what he wants to do and kills him. With the aid of Alan Campbell, they dispose of the body of basil. Later Dorian decided to reorganize his life, when he lost the other women. He was baffled on moral standards. He attempts to slash the painting by killing himself and it returned to its youthful appearance. Dorian seems to be aged, unrecognized and wrinkled (Kayden 2011, p.10). 1.2 Reinventing Dorian grey The book has been modified with many novel chapters and is examined to be closest with the 21st century audience. It ought to be reinvented with a charming and beautiful hero, who should be perverse as well as sadistic killer. He should have vitality on his beauty and in end should deal to destruction from his own hands. However, writers can reinvent Dorian grey by making modification not simply in his appearance but also in his nature. Hr should be an attractive 21st century persons, with modern thought and belief and a broad minded person (Seagroatt, 1998, p.50). Dorian can be reinvented in looks, appearance and dress which are more appropriate to the 21st century audience. Mainly the story depends on the individuality of Dorian. Presently in this century people like to be young therefore, this story is highly linked to the thinking of prevailing youth. However, there can be modification in the thinking of Dorian character and nature. (Witt 1993, p.50). Dorian Gray must be portrayed as an after shave model instead of a rich socialite. Its youth obsession must be relevant to the audience of 21st century. Dorian’s vision to stay young forever is the vision of every person today. So the script is just ideal for the audience. However, there can be changes in the looks and appearance of Dorian i.e. he should have golden hair. He should wear white suit with a bamboo in his hand with attractive personality with most suitable monocle on the face. This will make Dorian look more attractive and in align with the current fashion. He should be made to wear heel black pointed shoes that suits with the entire suit. This will make him look more presentable. He should exist with positive personality and should not have harsh thinking in his brain or any negativity. Rather than a suit he should be made to wear casual dresses if the picture is to be presented in theaters. 1.3 Feelings and thought of Dorian He gave more significance to his associates as compared to the other people. His friends had additional influence on him in first talk. He did not consider truth of life, i.e. every individual will become old. He liked to be young at any cost. However, this is the illusion of every individual in this present world. Everyone wants to be young. He had a distinct outlook in relation to the values of moral and ethics. He believed in God and was with the view that people who are involved in bad deeds can conceal everything from the world, but cannot hide from God. He believed on the reality of love and was with the outlook that it should be done secretly. One can feel more delightful by concealing this thing. He believed in all truths of life except being old. He was ready to do everything in order to be young forever (Haslam 2004, p.305). Dorian thought that the two beliefs of morality i.e. cruelty and consciousness are same thing. There exists no divergence in these terms. He always attempted to make friends who had good looks and characters, however people who had good intellectual ability, he deliberated him his enemies. He did not believe in principles and was with a view that people with no principles live their life happily. It is the individual who makes a determination on how to live his life in accordance to his needs. He had a principle that the bravest man was the one who is afraid of himself rather than others which is quite true (Gillespie & Michael 1994, p.60). Criticism on morality Many researchers contradicted the thought presented in the novel and deliberated to be unethical. There have been ethical criticism on the novel that it mainly relies on the contemporary philosophy and readers are impelled to learn problematic moral principles and contradictory emotions with mask characters. It has emphasized against the beliefs of moral society and has distilled more on the flourishing lives of Aristotelian (Clausson 2003, p.340). Such humanist criticism will affect the lives of people and their fortune in a negative way. 1.4 Guilty secrets Novel has turned all objects in an art and has made all things quite apparent. Dorian had done lots of acts in the novel. He was a very energetic person. In fact there was not a single sign of guilt on his face. He was young forever. He used to hide all his guilty secrets from people. He hidden his entire secret in a painting created by his friend. He kept that painting in the attic, away from everyone. All his guilt appeared on the face of painting, He had kept his soul in the painting. However, in the novel Dorian was not the only person, who should be guilty, Basil was also responsible for it by creating that painting for him. He had committed an artistic sin, by including his entire secret intellectual in the painting. He revealed too much of artistic intention. The painting was honest; it only revealed Basil’s obsessions. The only fault was that it was very realistic. Dorian attempted his life in an art and experienced his life in the form of art rather than reality (Alison, 2011). Dorian tries to hide his guilt in the portrait. But by doing this he was disturbed and his mind was not free. He failed to enjoy his life with pleasure following the ethical principles. He cannot achieve all these things by following epicurean philosophy. Dorian got inspired by hennery words. He had thoughtless approach to painting, while Henry had different thinking in relation to youth. He gave Dorian a path to think of youth, which was taken negatively. Henry was with the view that at certain phase one will lose the beauty of life, but he failed to explain the pleasure and calmness associated with it. He only considered its negative aspects. Therefore, it can be concluded that Dorian failed to recognize his own identity. He is being self-determined on the views and influences of other people such as the painting, Basil, Lord Henry, yellow book and Sibyl Vane. As a result, he fails to get a mature and integrated identity in the world (Moffat, 2011). References Alison Flood, (2011). Uncensored Picture of Dorian Gray published. Article history. Guardian.co.uk.http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/apr/27/dorian-gray-oscar-wilde-uncensored\ Buckler, William. (1990). The Picture of Dorian Gray: An Essay in Aesthetic Exploration. Victorians Institute Journal 18, pp.74-135 Clausson, Nills. (2003). Culture and corruption: Patrian self development versus Gothic Degeneration in Oscar Wilde’s the picture of Dorial Gray. Papers on Language & Literature, 39 (4), pp.339-365 Gillespie & Michael Patrick. (1994). Ethics and Aesthetics in The Picture of Dorian Gray. Rediscovering Oscar Wilde. Garrard Cross: Colin Smythe, pp.55-137. Haslam, Richard. (2004). Melmoth (OW): Gothic models in the picture of Dorian Gray. Irish Studies Review, 12(3), pp.303-314 Kayden, Spencer. (2011). Picture of Dorian Gray. Scholastic Scope, 59 (13), pp.9-13, Moffat, Catherine. (2011). Meanland: Memoery and corruption. Overland Literary Journal. http://overland.org.au/2011/09/meanland-memory-and-corruption/ Seagroatt, Heather. (1998). Hard science, soft psychology and amorphous art in the picture of Dorian Gray. Studies in English Literature. 38 (4), pp. 19-741 Witt, Amanda. (1993). Blushing and Palings: The Body as Text in Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray . The Arkansas Philological Association 19, pp.85-96. Read More