Dorian Gray Chapter 19 Flashcards
Where has Dorian been spending his time?
In the country
What does Dorian tell Henry he has been doing?
Trying to become a better person
What does Henry say about being a good person?
being good in the country is easy due to the absence of the city’s corruption and allure
What is the catalyst for Dorian’s desire to improve?
He carried out a good deed
What is the good deed Dorian carried out
He was staying in an inn by himself since there are no temptations in the country. A simple, lower-class girl called Hetty had fallen in love with him, and Dorian ended the relationship before it progressed further, sparing her from Sybil’s destiny
What begins to pain Dorian?
Henry’s incessant joking about the gravest tragedies.
How does Henry retort to Dorian’s good deed?
Dorian has not rescued her at all, that the girl is likely heartbroken and may never find satisfaction again.
What sets Dorian apart from his “mentor,” Lord Henry, when they discuss the death of Basil Hallward? How does Wilde show the reader that Dorian is quite different from Lord Henry, even though both men seem to share the same interests and sentiments?
Lord Henry can only see the surface of things, he doesn’t care about Basil the person, just Basil the experience. Dorian was actually fond of Basil the person, while Lord Henry was fond of Basil the experience
What scandals currently dominate Victorian society conversation?
Basil’s dissappearance
The Suicide of Alan Campbell
Henry’s divorce
Are there any explanations for Basil’s disappearance?
None, there aren’t any
How does Henry feel about Basil?
He doesn’t care for him, he thinks his art fell off and the last time he found him interesting was when he professed his love to Dorian, in truth he shows more interest in death itself rather than Basil
What has Henry’s wife done when he tells Dorian to play the piano?
Left him for a pianist
When is the last time Henry found Basil interesting?
When he professed his love for Dorian years ago.
What does Dorian hypothesize? How does Henry respond?
If he murdered Basil, to which Henry asserts hat Dorian could never commit such an act, since killers are lowly individuals.
What does Henry say about the mind of a murderer?
They must do it for the sensation-for the lower class, murder might resemble art. But he can’t envision Basil meeting such a dramatic end.
What does Dorian say about the painting?
He never cared about it, he uses a quote describing it as “a face without a heart”
What does Henry ask Dorian about the soul? Why?
What happens to a man who gains the world in exchange for his soul, after recalling an experience he had walking the streets and seeing a street preacher speaking to a crowd
How does Dorian respond to Henry’s question about the soul?
He urges him not to jest about the soul, as it is the most serious organ and quite real, but Henry counters that it must be an illusion if Dorian is so convinced of its existence.
How is Henry still happy>
He is filled with the happiness he consistently derives from human experiences
What amazes Henry about DOrian?
his never-ending allure and youthfulness of Dorian’s appearance as he appears genuinely content when contemplating the fortunate life Dorian is leading.
What does Henry assert life is governed by?
uncontrollable sensations—the fleeting fragrance of a once-encountered flower can evoke profound nostalgia or dread
What does Henry think the world favors?
Dorian, his life has unfolded like a masterpiece
What does Dorian accuse Henry of?
corrupting him with the book he lent him during his youth, but Henry argues that art cannot influence in such a manner, as it inhibits action and merely mirrors things back to the observer.
According to Henry how can one be civilized?
By being either cultured or corrupt
What is the only thing that scares Henry?
Death
What are the 2 factors of the nineteenth century that cannot be explained away according to Henry?
Death and vulgarity
According to Henry what caused Basil to become a bad artist?
He had lost his ideal, when him and Dorian separated
What happens if a man treats life artistcally?
His brain is his heart
Who does Henry listen to? Who does he not listen to?
He listens to the young and ignores the old
According to Henry what is the tragedy of old age?
Not that one is old but one is young
According to Henry what has been Dorian’s art?
Life, he has set himself to music and his days are sonnets
How much older does Henry say he is than Dorian?
10 years
