Oscar Wilde: Life and Literary Contributions

Oscar Wilde, born in Dublin in 1854, was one of the most successful playwrights and celebrated figures of late Victorian London. His life and works embodied the aesthetic movement of the 19th century, challenging conventional Victorian values and championing the idea of "Art for art's sake".

Highlight: Wilde's adoption of the aesthetic ideal represented a challenge against Victorian values of material utility, respectability, and strict morality.

Wilde's literary career spanned various genres, including poetry, fairy tales, plays, and his only novel, "The Picture of Dorian Gray". His writing style was characterized by elegance, wit, and a masterful use of language.

Quote: "There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all."

Tragically, Wilde's life took a dramatic turn when he was convicted of gross indecency for homosexual acts and imprisoned. He died in Paris in 1900, at the age of 46.

The Picture of Dorian Gray: Analysis and Themes

"Il ritratto di Dorian Gray" is Oscar Wilde's only novel, first published in 1890 and later revised in 1891. The novel serves as a prime example of Wilde's aesthetic philosophy and his critique of Victorian society.

Example: The preface to the novel is often considered a manifesto of English Aestheticism, stating principles such as "The artist is the creator of beautiful things" and "All art is quite useless."

The plot revolves around Dorian Gray, a beautiful young man whose portrait ages while he remains youthful. Influenced by the hedonistic Lord Henry Wotton, Dorian pursues a life of pleasure and vice, with the portrait bearing the marks of his corruption.

Key themes in the novel include:

• The importance of beauty and appearance over moral concerns (Hedonism)
• The immortality of Art
• The Faustian pact and its consequences
• The concept of the double, reflecting the dark side of one's personality

Highlight: The portrait serves as Dorian's double, symbolizing the hidden, corrupt aspects of his personality - a common motif in Gothic literature.

The novel's moral suggests that every excess must be punished, and no one can escape the consequences of their actions. This message, coupled with the novel's exploration of aesthetic ideals, solidifies "The Picture of Dorian Gray" as a masterpiece of 19th-century literature and a key work in the Oscar Wilde movimento letterario.