By Shannon Maroutian

for the course Introduction to College English

Instructor: Liana Bellon

 

The True Wildean Dandy: An Analysis of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray

                  Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890) incorporates the unconventional philosophies of the Wildean dandy, which are divided among the three main characters: Dorian Gray, Basil Hallward, and Lord Henry. By creating a true dandy out of specific aspects of various characters rather than making one character entirely a dandy, Wilde emphasizes his philosophy that individuals, namely here Basil, Dorian and Henry, should not adhere to one approach, stance, or philosophy (class notes). The novel promotes Henry’s aesthetic philosophy, Basil’s compassion and his appreciation for avant-garde art, and Dorian’s desire for pleasure and adventure (class notes). Taken together, these are the key aspects of the dandy.

Lord Henry is the representative of the Aesthetic Movement and the philosophies which define it. Experience for experience’s sake, art for art’s sake, and the beauty of youth, among others, are all philosophies casually preached by the aesthete (class notes). Placed in a world concerned with virtue and propriety, Henry indirectly but deliberately imposes his mercurial views on anyone listening to his witty conversation. When confronted by Dorian Gray, Lord Henry says, “the true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible… Yes, Mr. Gray, the gods have been good to you. But what the gods give they quickly take away. You only have a few years in which to live really, perfectly, and fully,” thus already beginning to mold Dorian with his words (Wilde 62). Henry’s flippant conversation on youth quickly initiates a serious shift in Dorian’s self-image, which brings pleasure to the aesthete.  Henry is experimenting with his aesthetic philosophy of experience for experience’s sake by using Dorian as a guinea pig, which sparks Henry to say, “to a large extent the lad was his own creation. He had made him premature. That was something,” which suggests Henry is molding Dorian into a piece of art not even Basil could create (96). However, Henry’s teaching of hedonism to Dorian is simply talk. Acting as the mouthpiece for all the Wildean philosophies in the novel, Henry fails to be the true dandy he preaches about. Rather than leading the life of the dandy himself, Lord Henry says to Dorian, “I represent to you all the sins you have never had the courage to commit,” perhaps acknowledging that he lives vicariously through Dorian instead of seeking Dorian’s adventures himself (116).

Aspects of the Wildean dandy can even be found in Basil Hallward. Basil holds Dorian Gray close to his heart, and his compassion towards Dorian is evident when he tells Henry that Dorian “has a simple and a beautiful nature. Your aunt was quite right in what she said about him. Don’t spoil him. Don’t try to influence him. Your influence would be bad” (55).  Although interaction between Lord Henry and Dorian is inevitable due to Henry’s persistence, Basil continues to dissuade Dorian from taking Henry too seriously. Basil Hallward is said to be the true epicurean of the novel because he provides Dorian with the painting, which is Dorian’s source of pleasure, and disallows him from feeling the painful consequences of his immoral actions.  As well, we can see Basil’s appreciation for avant-garde art when he says, “I sometimes think, Harry, that there are only two eras of any importance in the world’s history. The first is of a new medium for art, and the second is the appearance of a new personality for art also,” which is followed by an explanation of how past artistic inventions, like oil painting for the Venetians, is the way Basil views Dorian Gray for himself: the most beautiful work of art (51). Dorian Gray helps Basil see art differently, hence allowing Basil to rediscover his art, but Dorian also simultaneously forces Basil to conceal his portrait for fear of someone discovering what Basil considers to be his ‘immoral’ homosexual feelings for his sitter.  Besides his feelings of disgust towards his homosexuality, Basil is also Victorian because he gives art too much importance (class notes). Basil says, “the reason I will not exhibit this picture is that I am afraid that I have shown in it the secret of my own soul,” giving the portrait meaning and, therefore, making art useful (Wilde 47). Lastly, Basil never acts upon his appreciation for abstract art, and therefore he reinforces the conventional views of the Victorians by solely creating representational art (class notes).

In sequence with his metamorphosis, Dorian Gray becomes overwrought with the need to subject himself to the life of a hedonist. Dorian emerges as the embodiment of the aesthetic philosophy which Henry brings to Dorian’s attention but never carries through in actions himself. The yellow book given to Dorian by Henry becomes useful to Dorian as he views it as inspiration for adventures. During this time, Dorian experiments with various philosophies, but, in keeping with the tendency of the dandy, he never sticks to one. Dorian focuses on personifying Hedonism and says, “its aim, indeed, was to experience itself, and not the fruits of experience, sweet or bitter as they might be” and he allows the lives of characters in literature to influence his own, thus emphasizing that art can be more real than life (Wilde 164).  Although Dorian entertains his mercurial desires as he shifts between different philosophies, we can see that he does indeed stick to one philosophy throughout: the philosophy of Lord Henry. Henry can be seen as the puppeteer and Dorian is his puppet, which is why Dorian could never be a true dandy. Dorian is not an individual and adopts Henry’s words too literally. After Sybil’s death, Dorian decides he wants to reform his life and regain his Victorian morality, a decision he makes more than once. Although Wildean values dominate Victorian values in this novel, Dorian is unable to make the switch.

Wilde never attributed all the key aspects of a true Wildean dandy to any one character. Seeing as Lord Henry, Basil, and Dorian are unable to associate themselves with one philosophy, Wilde promotes his belief of not sticking to one stance, idea or notion. Lord Henry is consumed by the Aesthetic Movement, but does not have the courage to put the movement into place through actions, and therefore is essentially a philosopher. Basil’s appreciation for avant-garde art and his compassion for Dorian make him the true epicurean of the novel, but his need for secrecy and his focus on representational art is what makes him Victorian. Dorian is the actor for the Aesthetic Movement, but unlike Henry, he can never fully accept the philosophies behind it. Dorian’s dandiacal pursuit of pleasure is overridden by his desire to return to Victorian morality, handicapping him from ever being a true Wildean dandy. Only when taken together do the philosopher, the epicurean, and the adventurer form the ideal dandy.

Works Cited

Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. Ed. Norman Page. Peterborough, Ont.: Broadview,     1998. Print.