homosexuality (dorian)

Question 1

no explicit homosexuality however

Answer 1

there is extensive homoeroticism and implied/suggested homosexual activity

Question 2

this starts in..

Answer 2

•chapter 1, when lord henry wotton and artist basil hallward are discussing a painting of dorian
•they linger on dorian’s beauty and basil reports going pale when dorian met his eyes

Question 3

after basil introduced lord henry to dorian, what happens

Answer 3

•basil continues to work on the painting but lord henry doesn’t focus on the painting, instead focusing on the beauty of dorian

Question 4

there’s an atmosphere of what among the three men in chapter 1

Answer 4

an atmosphere of possessiveness amongst the three men, and also a jockeying for position, which makes more sense if the reader were to assume physical attraction

Question 5

later in the book, what happens in chapter 12

Answer 5

•wilde comes close to making dorian’s homosexual activity explicit
•basil asks dorian “Why is your friendship so fatal to young men?” and says there’s rumors of dorian “stories that (he has) been seen creeping at dawn out of dreadful houses and slinking in disguise into the foulest dens in London.”

Question 6

what do the rumors of dorian do to period reviewers

Answer 6

period reviewers found the novel scandalous and immoral due to the insinuations

Question 7

one reviewer linked the book to a famous homosexual incident from the period. it was the…

Answer 7

“Cleveland Street Affair”, which involved english aristocrats frequenting a male brothel

Question 8

more generally, homosexuality played a major role in wildes life..

Answer 8

he was carrying on a so called unseeing relationship with the younger poet Lord Alfred Douglas

Question 9

how did britains attitude towards homosexuality shape this novel

Answer 9

•homosexual activity was considered a crime punishable by death until 1861
•such consequences are a glaring violation of human and civil rights

Question 10

sexual activities between consenting adult men remained punishable by prison terms until…

Answer 10

•the mid 20th century
•the latter half of the 20th century, Britains Sexual Offenses Act decriminalized homosexual activity, and associated legislation lowered the age of consent to 16