Book Review: The Picture of Dorian Gray

Into the art go I, from the art I go. Oscar Wilde’s 1890, The Picture of Dorian Gray, is a philosophical rendering of madness, driven by hedonistic vanity and undone by the indefatigable patience of Death.

Basil Hallward, a friend of Dorian Gray, paints a portrait of the Adonis-like Gray, and becomes infatuated with his beauty. But so infatuated by this beauty, and his instant masterpiece rendering of it, is Basil, that he is unwilling to exhibit it anywhere. His primary reason is because he feels he has given too much of himself to the painting, and those who view it will suss that out (the lament of all artists!). His other friend, Lord Henry Wotton, who verbosely espouses the virtues of hedonism, futilely tries to compel Basil to exhibit it, but in so doing, influences what is to come from Dorian. If beauty and pleasure are the only virtues worth pursuing in our world, then does not Dorian exemplify the human model of it in being so beautiful? And if beauty is the highest virtue, then it behooves one to protect it from blemishing. By extrapolation then, since it is, after all, a rendering of himself, Dorian realizes he must protect his beauty, i.e., his youth because it is age that will blemish his beauty. He essentially makes a Faustian bargain with the painting to ensure that it will age rather than him. However, this is where madness lies because it is impossible to come out the victor in a bargain with Death. Anyone who comes into contact with Dorian — with the exception of some of the aristocratic class, such as Lord Henry — either dies by their hand or tragic accident, or otherwise encounters a downfall.

But it is not merely that the portrait, which Dorian has locked away in an upstairs, unused library, ages and viscerally exhibits such age to Dorian. It also exudes, like dripping paint yet to dry, Dorian’s many sins and follies since pursuing his hedonistic lifestyle. The first way in which Dorian sins is by breaking off his engagement to an actress for no reason other than she embarrassed him in front of Lord Henry and Basil; she promptly kills herself. Which sets in motion her younger brother’s quest for revenge. Then, upon being confronted by Basil many years later, with the way those in London view and talk about Dorian, Dorian stabs Basil to death. He then blackmails someone to hide the body. That person then kills themselves. And later, when shooting guns, one of the shooters accidentally shoots and kills the actress’s brother, who was planning on shooting him.

Alas, that is when Dorian proclaims he will be good from now on! Perhaps he can even reverse the “blemishes” on his portrait by doing good deeds. Instead, when seeing the portrait once more, he thinks to stab it with the very knife that he killed Basil with, not realizing in so doing, he would kill himself. For he was the painting, and the painting was him.

Rather tedious at times with how deep Wilde went with the philosophical opinions of Lord Henry, or particularly the section when we fast-forward in time through Dorian’s hedonistic life, I still, nevertheless, enjoyed this classic tale of how vanity ultimately is the ruin of a man. There are also many great quotes and musings throughout the book, including in the famed preface, wherein Wilde argues that art is for art’s sake. Or that a so-called controversial book is only controversial insomuch as it reveals the world’s shame.

Among the classics I have read, I would put, The Picture of Dorian Gray in the middle of the pack. Well-worth having read, primarily owing to how intriguing it is to think about the relationship between art and the artist, and additionally in this case, art and the subject of the art.