The Picture of Dorian Gray Commonplace
“The final revelation is that Lying, the telling of beautiful untrue things, is the proper aim of Art” (254)
“The name is therefore consistent with the frequent comparisons of Dorian Gray to figures in Greek mythology and with his resemblance to the kind of idealized male figure represented in Greek art” (261)
“The natural preservation of Dorian’s perfection by art, and the unnatural reversal of roles of art and life, constitute the idea that gives the novel its momentum” (265)
“It is a tale spawned from the leprous literature of the French Decadents – a poisonous book, the atmosphere of which is heavy with mephitic odours of moral and spiritual putrefaction…” (273)
3 thoughts on “The Picture of Dorian Gray Commonplace”
What is interesting to me about this common place entry is that I can tie back practically all the quotes to be in reference to the preface of the novel. I also found this to be true about my commonplacing, and others. It seems that most of Wilde’s work was based around these dictums as are most of the critiques of his work.
I noticed that three of these quotes involve the perception of art on the beholder and how art itself is attempting to be as ambiguous as possible so people can have different opinions. An article that I found talked about the Preface and why Wilde decided to incorporate it into his novel. An interesting point was brought up, where Wilde used a lot of juxtaposition both in the novel, talking about the portrait, and in the Preface. The juxtapositions were supposed to confuse the reader and create an air of mystery surrounding the portrait. This ties into your quotes!
The visual you gave really interested me. It reminded me of another commonplace book I read. It mentioned how the picture was just taking the old age away from Dorian; but also making him ugly on the inside. I think your visual in a great representation of that.