The Picture of Dorian Gray - St. Agnes Academic High School

29 Pages·2010·0.33 MB·English

The Picture of Dorian Gray
By: Oscar Wilde
Introduction
Define beauty
(cid:122)
Where do people’s opinions of beauty come
(cid:122)
from?
What do people do to attain/keep their
(cid:122)
beauty?
Do you think some people go too far in
(cid:122)
attaining/keeping their beauty? Explain
Would you give up anything to remain young
(cid:122)
forever?
Introduction
Published in England in 1890
(cid:122)
Deals with psychological horror
(cid:122)
Shocking and immoral
(cid:122)
Introduction
Two-sided nature of man
(cid:122)
•
Good and bad
•
Mirror = reflection
•
outer or inner nature of man
Historical Context
Victorianism – late 19th Century
(cid:122)
•
Emphasis on
•
Hard Work
•
Moral acts
•
Social Responsibility
•
Material Success
Historical Context
Aesthetic Movement
(cid:122)
•
Literary movement in the late 19th Century
•
Was in response to:
•
Art should have a social value
“Art for Arts Sake”
(cid:122)
•
Concerned solely with beauty and not with any
moral or social purpose
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Irish poet, novelist, and playwright
(cid:122)
Born in Dublin on October 16, 1854
(cid:122)
Studied at Magdalen College in Oxford
(cid:122)
•
Focused on aestheticism (the pursuit of beauty)
Oscar Wilde
After graduation
(cid:122)
•
Wilde moved to London
•
Intellectual circles
•
Witty conversation
•
Outlandish dress
Characters
Dorian Gray
(cid:122)
•
20 years old
•
His mother was Margaret
Devereux (died when he was
young)
•
Raised by his grandfather Lord
Kelso
•
At 21 he will inherit a large sum
of money