The Picture of Dorian Gray Chapters 11-15

Yellow Book

• Influences Dorian for years

• Treats life as an art form

• A life dedicated to the senses

• Concludes it has poisoned him

• Lives life with absolute freedom despite this book’s giant influence over him--paradox

Character v. Reputation

• Bad rumors circulate about Dorian

  • Nobody believes them bc of Dorian’s good look

    • Idea of beauty’s deceptiveness

  • Extremely dark reputation, does not stir him

  • Can only act this way--only the wealthy can be this self-indulgent

• Regulates compares himself to the picture to watch the corruption of his soul

  • Despite his escape via materialism, it keeps his fear of the portrait at bay

    • Stops traveling because he’s afraid someone would see it

  • Indulges himself to keep terror at bay--creating the one thing he fears

    • Illustrates obsession and addiction

    • Catholicism, Darwinism, embroideries, perfumes, jewels

      • Clustering in these together shows how these are all escapes

      • Very materialistic things

      • cultivate

• Hides the results but cannot stop others from talking about him

• Lord Henry

  • All influences are bad, but influences Dorian

Basil and Dorian

• Basil talks about how people are saying terrible things about him

  • Says reputation is important

  • Does not thing this is like Dorian

“I wonder do I know you? Before I could answer that, I should have to see your soul.”

• Says only god could see that

  • Dorian keeps a “daily diary of his soul”

• The dense fog is literal and symbolic

  • Both Basil and Dorian believe they are control but both are moving through a hazy world where neither sees as clearly as they think

    • Dorian does when rejects the importance of his reputation

      • Very harmful for himself

    • Basil when he talks about seeing Dorian’s soul

The Portrait

“One day you introduced me to a friend of yours, who explained to me the wonder of youth, and you finished a portrait of me that revealed to me the wonder of beauty. In a mad moment, that I don't know, even now, whether I regret it or not, I made a wish.”

• Basil acknowledges this after while and cries

• Basil says his sins must be so bad

  • Dorian cannot face his nature or any criticism

    • Kills Basil

      • Eliminating his chance for redemption and last bastion of goodness

• Gothic literature

  • Description of the room

• First time Dorian shows the painting

  • Shows that his appearance is a facade for what ugly (the portrait) which lies underneath

• Like a greek tragedy

  • Basil’s death

  • Sybil’s suicide

Allan Campbell

• Used to love music but after Dorian hates it

• Was friends with Dorian but then after while it all ended and Allan hates him

  • Severely distrusts him

"’It was a suicide, Alan.’/‘I am glad of that. But who drove him to it? You, I should fancy.’”

• Blackmails Campbell to dispose of the body bc Campbell does not want to help

  • Dorian and Campbell most likely had a homosexual relationship

Reputation and Beauty

• Goes to Lady Narborough’s party

  • Dorian does not eat thing

    • People think he is in love

      • So beautiful people associate him with love

“The husbands of very beautiful women belong to the criminal classes”

• Henry’s way of life is materialistic, shallow, and costs lots of money

  • Only for the wealthy

• Idea of reputation is overlooked by Narborough because “you are made to be good—you look so good”

  • Showing how beauty sheathes his soul

• The conversation between the two is dramatic irony

“‘Everybody I know says you are very wicked,; cried the old lady, shaking her head./ Lord Henry looked serious for some moments. ‘It is perfectly monstrous,’ he said, at last, ‘the way people go about nowadays saying things against one behind one's back that are absolutely and entirely true.’”

• Dorian is bored with life and wants everything to be over

  • Both Henry and Narborough believe he should marry

After the Death

• Dorian wakes peacefully and decides he cannot think too much about the events of last night or he’d go crazy

  • Sleeps well

    • Makes it appears that he lacks a conscience

• Goes paranoid

  • Reading poetry reminds him of poetry

• Dorian is festered by anxiety

• At Narborough’s party, Dorian does not eat thing

• When Dorian returns he returns to his hysteria

  • Takes opium to forgot his troubles