The Picture Of Dorian Gray Research Paper

Aesthetic philosophy in fin-de-siècle English society, as illustrated by Oscar Wilde, was not restricted to just art as followers of this philosophy extended the concept to life itself. Aestheticism advocated whatever behaviour was likely to maximise the beauty and happiness in one’s life. As well as in landscapes, this was predominately found in all types of art and fine art which then became an umbrella term for specific attributes of the arts such as architecture, sculptures, chamber and orchestral music, ballet, painting on canvases, poetry and literature in the sense of ‘belles lettres’. As well as art, aestheticism can be found in all things ‘aesthetically pleasing’ and in this day and age has been further broadened to cover body form, sex, photography, graphics and anything else that can be considered aesthetically pleasing to the eye or mind.

The only full-length novel of Oscar Wilde, ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ is a philosophical novel and a reinterpretation of the Faustian myth. The tale depicts a man named Dorian Gray, a wealthy man of beauty who, after seeing his portrait painted by his friend Basil Hallward, becomes aware of the fact that his beauty will fade and deteriorate whereas his portrait will remain young and beautiful. Consequently, he pledges his soul, wishing it to be “the

At first, it seems Wilde’s novel promotes this lifestyle as a lifestyle based upon these philosophies is endorsed in his opening preface as well as throughout the philosophical lectures of Lord Henry. As the novel continues, it becomes clear that Wilde is not celebrating aestheticism and warns people of the dangers of delving into this lifestyle. Wilde illustrated in the life of Dorian Gray the need for a controlled approach to aestheticism, without this morality will