victorian society image (dorian)

Question 1

what should the novel be seen as

Answer 1

•a comment on society’s hedonistic lifestyle which is privileged over good conduct and morals

Question 2

why did wilde write this book

Answer 2

•to show people in the 1890s, the lower side of society and to consider issues they may not want to address

Question 3

what was highly valued during the Victorian Era

Answer 3

•victorian era was a time where art was highly valued and was a tool used for social education and moral enlightenment

Question 4

who’s lord henry

Answer 4

•he’s a charming talker with fascinating and poisonous theories that have the power to corrupt young minds like Dorian Gray’s

Question 5

what does Wilde suggest about Lord Henry through dialogue

Answer 5

•wilde uses dialogue to suggest Lord Henry believes art is completely irrelevant to society and so the artists also don’t relate meaningfully to the world; values contrary to many Victorians

Question 6

lord henry says what to dorian

Answer 6

“I am so glad you have never done anything…., or produced anything outside yourself! Life has been your art.”

Question 7

the same way Lord Henry believes artists put themselves into their art, what did Dorian do

Answer 7

•Dorian has also put all of himself into his life by enjoying it well and making his life art

Question 8

what’s Lord Henry conveying and what can readers see

Answer 8

•Lord Henry is converting that if dorian tried to live differently his life wouldn’t be as beautiful
•however readers can see otherwise despite Lord Henry’s views

Question 9

what can readers tell about dorian’s lifestyle

Answer 9

•that the way dorian’s living his life means he’s never about to understand/find his own true character

Question 10

what is wildes message about arts meaning and how is it expressed

Answer 10

•he communicates that arts purpose is to be purposeless
•through lord henry and allows readers to see the value given to art from a different perspective

Question 11

how is the supremacy of both youth a beauty evident throughout the novel

Answer 11

•wilde lived by the principle of aestheticism and valued youth and beauty
•in his eyes, art served no other purpose other than to offer beauty, therefore the supremacy of youth and beauty is evident

Question 12

after realizing basils passion for beauty, what does dorian do

Answer 12

•he accuses basil of preferring art over his friends for the reason that art will always remain beautiful and never grow old

Question 13

what does the portrait make dorian realise

Answer 13

•the supremacy and short lived nature of beauty and youth which evokes jealousy towards anything that will remain beautiful forever

Question 14

what happens near the end of the book

Answer 14

•dorian sees what his actions, in the name of youth & beauty,have done to the portrait

Question 15

although beauty and youth remain important at the end of the novel…

Answer 15

•the portrait is back to its original form, suggesting that the price that must be paid is exceedingly high, in Dorian’s case it was his soul

Question 16

the extents Dorian went to in order to acquire everlasting beauty and how his corrupt behaviors were overlooked because of his “innocence” and “purity of his face” shows what

Answer 16

•how dépendant society was an outward mannerisms and appearances; to the extent where friendships, morals and values no longer mattered

Question 17

in a society that values youth and beauty beyond character, what is common

Answer 17

•it’s common to see immoral behaviors and hedonistic underworlds that are deeply hidden by the facade of good appearances

Question 18

what does wilde use the novel to do

Answer 18

•take the readers to the less flattering side of victorian england through dorian’s journey

Question 19

story begins when he finds that the portrait will bear the scars of his hedonistic lifestyle, leaving his physical appearance in stained, then..?

Answer 19

•dorian abandons good morals, values and principles for a life of pleasure, knowing he’s able to have the best of both worlds

Question 20

dorian is able to have the best of both worlds..

Answer 20

•acceptance of society and fulfillment of his narcissistic desires, as his unblemished looks would save him from the accusations of corruption and immorality

Question 21

what is the source of dorian’s initial narcissistic behaviors

Answer 21

•lord henry’s influence and manipulative words

Question 22

dorian becomes a symbol of hedonism after lord henry tells him what

Answer 22

•”A new hedonism, -that is what our century wants. You might be it’s visible symbol.”

Question 23

the titular object in the novel in Dorian’s painting is a symbol that..

Answer 23

•goes from beautiful image of a young man to a corrupted and horrific representation of his soul that’s been influenced by the hidden darkness & ugliness of society that was previously trapped away

Question 24

what is the painting a symbol of and what message does it convey

Answer 24

•society’s behavior and conveys an important message to the audience, informing them that the true, no matter how deeply it’s hidden, will reveal itself with tune

Question 25

through wildes characterization of Lord Henry and Dorian Gray, what can readers see

Answer 25

•the juxtaposition of beauty against moral depravity and its consequences

Question 26

dorian’s beauty juxtaposed with the dark gothic themes of his soul transferring to the painting shows

Answer 26

•that behind beauty lies darker truths that are waiting to be exposed

Question 27

wildes use of romantic and gothic aesthetics help in what

Answer 27

•bringing the hedonistic underworld of society that are hidden from the rest of the world to light

Question 28

ultimately through the consequences dorian suffers and through basils death, what do readers come to

Answer 28

•they come to contemplate and are reminded of the effects of leading a life of bad morals and values through the cautionary tale

Question 29

on a pos note, what are the audience also taught

Answer 29

•to appreciate beauty and art but never forget morality

Question 30

what allows readers to see the value given to art

Answer 30

•the alluring diction, juxtaposition of the romantic and gothic aesthetic and the dark themes in the novel allow readers to see the value given to art, the superficial nature of society and hedonistic lifestyles that are covered by the facade of upper class mannerisms taking readers back to the 1890s victorian england & life there

Question 31

what does the novel illustrate

Answer 31

•the long term effects of following a hedonistic form of life and shows the gradual destruction of dorian which ultimately leads to madness and his own death