A Life of Sensations
"'how horribly real ugliness made things" (120).
Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890)
Points for Reflection
O. Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890) chps 9-13
- identify those moments where Dorian utters sentiments that sound like they came straight out of Lord Henry’s mouth.
- 2. in what other guises did Basil paint Dorian, prior to the painting which he finishes at the open of the novel?
- until today's reading, we had learned very little of Dorian's history (22); does our growing knowledge of Dorian's past across chapter ten temper our judgment of his actions with pity?
- what signs do we find in today’s reading of Dorian’s growing paranoia?
- what is the one factor that Dorian believes could save him from the life of sin and pleasure which he has chosen for himself?
- does the narrative appear conflicted about the concept of morality? Is the reader encouraged to apply such a concept to the life of Dorian Gray? To what end does the novel employ words like “sin,” “evil,” and “soul"?
- at what points do the narrator's own voice and perspective appear to emerge?
- are the altered states induced by smells, images, and sounds an intrinsic good to Dorian?
- why does Wilde identify Dorian's reveries (daydreams) as a kind of malady (disease or ailment)?
- is the aging process awarded any positive qualities within this book—the wisdom presumed to be born of experience, perhaps?
- how does Wilde go about establishing a dark, Gothic atmosphere for the horrific events of chapter thirteen? Pay close attention to the setting.
- after viewing the altered portrait, what does Basil ask Dorian to do?
- why is it that no one will notice Basil’s absence in London for at least four months?
- do Basil's opinions concerning his two friends find purchase and take root in today's readings, or are they violently rebuffed?
- Lord Henry: does the narrative thus far support Basil’s opinion (8, 12, 73) that Lord Henry is, deep down, a morally upright guy?
- Dorian: in the same way that Basil once concluded “[Dorian] would never bring misery upon any one” (75), Basil again convinces himself that there is “so much in [Dorian] that was good, so much in him that was noble” (107). Does today’s reading support Basil’s reiterated optimism about Dorian’s character?
"Le Soleil" (1912)
Edvard Munch
Dr. Paul
Marchbanks
pmarchba@calpoly.edu
