Written by: Nupur Lamichhane - 24068, Grade XII
Posted on: 08 February, 2024
“The Picture of Dorian Gray” a famous literary classic novel written by Oscar Wilde, explores themes of aestheticism, the duality of human nature, the consequences of greed and obsession and the mortality of beauty, youth and appearance. This novel is considered a classic of Victorian literature and a significant work in the Gothic tradition. With his phenomenal writing skills, Oscar Wilde was also known for his sharp wit and humor, his sense of aesthetics, and his flamboyant fashion sense, which later sparked a huge controversy.
The novel was first published in a Monthly Magazine in June 1890. It explored mortality, dark human behavior and some homoerotic themes and indulgent lifestyles. As The societal norms of the Victorian era were very conservative the public response to the book was utter shock and moral outrage. The magazine editors censored certain “controversial” and “scandalous” parts from the book but it did not help at all because people were already against it, some saying that it supports “satanism” and "gross indecency" (a term formerly used to denote certain criminal offenses, in particular sexual activity between men). As a response to the public criticism and controversy, later in 1891 when the novel was published in a book form, Oscar Wilde added a preface in his book where he starts by saying, “The artist is the creator of beautiful things. To reveal art and conceal the artist is art's aim.” Basically explaining that art allows the audience to appreciate its beauty without being overly concerned with the personal life or identity of the artist. He also mentions that “those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming” and straightforwardly calls this trait a fault. In the same preface Wild also delivers a powerful line addressing people calling him and his writing “immoral” by saying "There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written or badly written. That is all." This line suggests that the only meaningful difference is whether a book is well or poorly written, rather than making moral judgments about its content. And ends the preface by saying “All art is quite useless” implying that art is not meant to serve a specific purpose and that the art's value is in its beauty and the enjoyment one feels. But, since Wilde himself had a flamboyant lifestyle and an open acknowledgment of his homosexuality, it made the situation even worse as the public started questioning Wilde's personal choices and started calling him out for his “immoral acts.” The matters got so bad that in 1895, Wilde faced legal troubles and the trial led to revelations about Wilde's private life which resulted in his arrest and subsequent conviction for "gross indecency,” and he was sentenced to two years of prison. This had an intense impact on his personal and professional life. He faced public disgrace, financial ruin, and imprisonment. Wilde's health became progressively worse in prison, and after his release, he lived in exile in France until his death in 1900. Oscar Wilde's reputation suffered greatly for years, and he went through a rough period of social and personal issues. The controversy surrounding the novel did not immediately die down, but over time, the work gained recognition for its literary value. After Wildes death, his reputation was restored, and "The Picture of Dorian Gray" came to be appreciated as a significant contribution to literature.
This situation shows how writers in Wilde's time (Victorian era) had a tough time trying new ideas as society expected them to follow strict moral and social rules. The controversy around Wilde's work shows how challenging it was for writers to break free from these expectations and explore new themes or styles. It also shows how Oscar Wilde tried to normalize various elements in writing as well as in the society and its people of his time.
