The Picture of Dorian Gray

OSCAR WILDE
(1854 - 1900)
-He was born in Dublin and he attended the Trinity College then he went to Oxford
-He was attracted by the Aesthetic Movement
-Quickly he won a reputation of a brillant conversationalist, affected dandy aesthete
-After graduating he moved to London and there he assumed extravagant habits
-Owing to his personality he became the spokesman of the Aesthetic Movement
-He got married and he had 2 children
-He was arrested and sent to prison owing to his homosexual relationships
-1897: he left the prison and moved to France
-1900 he died in France





Works:
-His first important works were a series of fables
-in 1890 he wrote "The Picture of Dorian Gray" considered the prototype of extreme decadentism
-from 1890 to 1895 he wrote some succesfull comedies (as 'The Importance of Being Earnest', 'A Woman of no Importance', 'An Ideal Husband'..) - His plays take after the light French Theatre of the time and are in contrast with George Bernard Shaw's social plays (whose model is Ibsen)
-while he was in prison he wrote 'The Ballad of the Reading Gaol' (which reflects the changes the prison had made upon him) and 'De Profundis' (a long and autobiographical letter)


Testo a cura di Miriam Grossi (a.sc.: 2000/2001)

The role of the Artist:

-While Wordsworth had seen the poet as the “priest of Nature” and Shelley had spoken about the poem as the “trumpet of prophesy”, the Decadent Artist was the ANTI-PRIEST or DEVIL OF ART, upturning moral values and refusing a social role in society.

Starting from the concept of the DANDY, and from the aesthetic program that inspired it, Wilde developed a new concept of the artist whom he saw as free and superior to other men.

The aesthetic concept of BEAUTY that began with Keats in his Ode on a Grecian Urn finished, perhaps, with Beardsley’s eroic-decadent illustrations for Oscar Wilde’s Salomé.

The Importance of Being Earnest

THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY

The picture of Dorian Gray
Preface

* It is an expression of ANTI-VICTORIAN AESTHETICISM

Themes:

1- The immortality of art (represented in the final scene of the book when the painting is miraculously restored to its original beauty)

2- The divided self ( =the DOUBLE of Gothic literature): Dorian’s attempt to hide the portrait , the artistic representation of his other self, is symbolic of man’s attempt to deny part of his true personality.

3- Narcissus and Faust: linked with the whole fin the siècle homo-erotic tradition of Dandysm. Like Narcissus, Dorian falls in love with himself when he sees Basil’s portrait, like Faust, he makes a devilish pact, prepared to sell his soul for eternal youth and beauty.

*it's the manifesto of Aestheticism in England and he shows his view of art and the artist:

1.Art must be autonomous
2.He criticises the Victorianism and stresses the indipendence of arts from morals
3.Art is neither good nor bad in itself: it's the audience that mirror their souls in it
4.The artist has to be in accordance with himself
5.All art is useless

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THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST

The Importance of Being Earnest

Background:

-First performed at the St.James’s Theatre, London, in 1895; it was published in 1899.

Stylistically, it finds its predecessors in the “comedy of manners” tradition of the 18th century, relying on wit, farce and typical characters to create humor. It contributed to the ribirth of the English theatre during the Victorian period.

-This play is Wilde’s most successful one.


The title:

The title is a pun (a play on words) based on the two meanings of the word EARNEST ( both a man’s name and an adjective meaning ‘honest’, ‘sincere’)

The plot:

The plot is based on a series of confusions that have to be resolved, mysteries that have to be explained and cases of mistaken identity that have to be corrected.

John Worthing (called Jack) was found in a handbag at Victoria Station by Mr Worthing, who adopted him. He lives in the country but when he goes to London he uses the name of Earnest. He is in love with Gwendolen, cousin of his friend Algernon Moncrieff.

Gwendolen accepts to marry him because she wants to marry someone with the name of Earnest.

Algernon arrives in the country and introduced himself like Earnest, then he meets Cecily, Jack's Ward, and between them is love at first sight. The 2 girls believe they are both engaged to a man called Earnest.

Misunderstandings of identity cause funny and misleading situations but all ends well.



-Oscar Wilde amusingly analyses the English social classes and reflects on snobbery and the false values of late Victorian England.

-He relies on development of character and their witty dialogues to create humour in the play.

-Algernon Montcrieff is the typical dandy figure, amusing, rich, good-looking and well dressed.

-Jack is also something of al dandy, but he is always more serious than Algernon.

-Lady Bracknell is the caricature of the upper-class English snob;

-Miss Prism is the funny forgetful servant figure;

-Gwendolen and Cecily represent a silly and superficial approach to love (just a fashionable game, whose goal is marriage) and life.

-The language is witty, light and full of paradoxes and epigrams;

-There aren't moral judgements but only a satire of the upper-class English people.


When the girls realize that no one is Earnest

- This is the central scene of the play (act 2)

- It's based on a breethtaking succession of misunderstandings discoveries relying on superbly brilliant language

- The humour comes from the characters, what they say and how they say it.

- Importance of the stage directions: the characters are made to move on the stage as if they were puppets.

- Opposition between town (Gwendolen) and country (Cecily) ------> Gwendoline, as a Lord’s daughter living in London, is more snobbish and talkative than Cecily, a country orphan; in the end both girls prove to be vain and sharpe-tongued and to have the same attitude towards life..

- Relations based on social position.

- Superficial high-society relationship

- Absurdity of upper-class conventions

- Rivalry between the sexes

- Criticism of the Victorian novel tradition (Three-volume-novels)

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