”All art is at once surface and symbol. Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril. Those who read the symbol do so at their peril. It is the spectator, and not life, that art really mirrors.”

Starting with this propitious debut, Wilde’s novel illustrates concepts and perspectives regarding the privileged status of individuals in the Victorian society. Not only the compelling sense, but also the power of words explains Wilde’s fascination for the society of those times regardless being condemned by it for his sexual orientation. For those who did not know, during those times the members of the LGBTQ+ community risked of being sent to prison and forced labour for two years.

Before starting with the spoiler-free review, I would like to share with you an interesting passage presented in the preface: “We can forgive a man for making a useful thing as long as he does not admire it. The only excuse for making a useless thing is that one admires it intensely. All art is quite useless.” The ambiguous title of the novel either catches the reader’s attention or provokes a state of boredom and to be honest even I had mixed feelings about it.

Having said that, the meaning of a book must get past the title and the author’s reputation, therefore I invite you to lecture something new, fascinating and unusual. The eccentricity of the novel is represented not only by the meaningful sense transmitted, but also by the theme under discussion: hedonism. A man who dedicates his whole life to hedonism has only one purpose, to satisfy his vices. The story begins with the artist Basil Hallward realizing Dorian Gray’s portrait when Lord Henry – a passionate and intriguing character – accompanies him. Their discussions have a common factor of interest, the young and innocent Dorian Gray which represents a source of inspiration for the artist. The sudden appearance of Lord Henry in Gray’s life has a major impact upon his destiny, which is illustrated by the portrait rather than by his unchanged looks. Moreover, Oscar Wilde states his views regarding being influenced by affirming: “There is no such thing as a good influence. Because to influence a person is to give him one's own soul.’’

That being so, I invite you to lecture this gripping book written by Oscar Wilde and to find out what happened to the portrait and to the sinful protagonist and to discover the philosophy concepts presented in there.

🌝Fun facts🌝

Here you have a sneak-peak for the next article which includes more interesting facts that both amazed and amused us while discovering them.🙈

1.Oscar Wilde dedicated his whole life to writing, although “The Portrait of Dorian Gray” is his only finished and published novel.

2.The recognition that he received after his most popular quote (“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”) was questioned due to the fact that there is no accurate proof that the quote really belonged to him.

3.He was sent to prison for two years for not respecting the relationships’ standards during the Victorian era. Immediately after being released, he … (see the following part in the article “Fun and Wild Facts about Oscar Wilde”).

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editorial: Bianca Constantin

graphic design: Bianca Constantin

translation: Teodora Magan

DP (desktop publishing): Bianca Constantin