Parallels and Perpendiculars?

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The preface of The Picture of Dorian Gray states that, "To reveal art and conceal the artist is the art's aim." However, this novel does everything but conceal Oscar Wilde. His sexuality and beliefs are revealed through his works of literature, leading to his eventual downfall. 

For example, Dorian indulges in acts of hedonism and focuses much of his life on trying to achieve self-pleasure. Similarly Wilde also focused on aestheticism, constantly trying to find beauty in real life. In fact, he went to Boston to lecture about aestheticism. Once he met Douglas, the young man he fell in love with, his acts of hedonism only increased. Some might say that the effect Douglas had on Wilde was similar to the effect Lord Henry had on Douglas. Wilde indulged in artistic, materialistic, and sexual habits regularly. Like Dorian going to opium dens to forget, Wilde went to underground dens for prostitution to satisfy his desires. He needed to lead a double life to avoid scrutinization by the public for if the public found out, as they would later, his life and career would be over.

However, some differences between the novel and Wilde's life was the means through which the character obtained wealth. In The Picture of Dorian Gray, it's implied that Dorian obtained his wealth by inheriting it. He doesn't have the need to work as he is a part of royalty and can indulge in luxuries such as gems and jewelery freely. On the contrary, Wilde actually earned his money through his playwriting skills and the success of many of his plays. So although there are many parallels between The Picture of Dorian Gray and Wilde's life, there are also many fictional aspects.

Comments

  1. Tyler YeeMay 28, 2022 at 9:54 PM

    Nice comparison between Wilde and Gray! These are interesting facts that I definitely would not have known if not for this post. This ties nicely into the art vs artist conversation with Wilde being involved in acts of prostitution, so should we be reading The Picture of Dorian Gray at all? We can leave that for a different discussion.

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  2. LilyMay 29, 2022 at 9:07 PM

    I agree-the book and the author's life have many similarities; at the end of his life, Oscar Wilde regretted his choices, saying that he didn't live a life befitting of an artist. Despite Basil saying at the beginning that we should not treat art as a form of autobiography, The Picture of Dorian Gray, is, whether intentional or not, at least partially autobiographical. Dorian's age was even changed from 32 to 38 to avoid comparisons.
    Whether we realize it or not, art does reveal the artist. If the audience accepts or rejects those parts is entirely up to them.

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