Cotter1

OlgaCotter
MS.Gardner
English10H,4
October19,2015
OscarWilde:Insight
Aubrey,Bryan."CriticalEssayon'ThePictureofDorianGray'."
NovelsforStudents
.Ed.Ira
MarkMilneandTimothySisler.Vol.20.Detroit:Gale,2005.
LiteratureResource
Center
.Web.21Oct.2015
.

Aubreyscriticalessayon
ThePictureofDorianGray
revealedhisopinionsonhow
Wildeassertshisopinionsandstoryintohisnovel.Inhisnovel,WildeappearsasLord
Henry,themanwhoactsasamentortoDorianandguideshimthroughthelossofhis
friend,Sibyl,yettheHenrysintentionstowardDorianarenotalwayspure.Hewishesto
livevicariouslythroughayounger,morebeautifulspecimenwhohastheability(orso
LordHenrysupposes)toexperiencelifeasLordHenrybelievesitoughttobe
experienced.OneoftheapparentplacesthatWildeexpresseshimselfinhisnovelis
whenSibyldiesandKingHenryteachesDorianthatartissuperiortolife,toviewher
suicideasatragicplay,sothathecouldgainsympathyfromotherswithoutactually
havingtofeelthepainandgriefifhefacestheactualityofthesituation.

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Thisessayhasuseddifferentopinionsondifferentconceptsandcomplicatedscenesin
thebookinordertomakeitmoreunderstandableandrelatable.Forinstance,themain
reasonofwhythepaintingofDorianGray,anaturallybeautifulandperfectfeatured
man,would,onitsown,changeintoadeformedanduglylookingportrait.Heexplained
thatwhenSibylandDorianhadmadeanemotionalconnectionandthenSibylcommitted
suicide,hehadawoundthatwentdownsodeepitreachedhissoul,therefore,changing
thelookoftheportrait.

"Beautyandfashion."
KirkusReviews
15Apr.2006:S8+.
LiteratureResourceCenter
.Web.9
Nov.2015.

Thisarticleisaboutbeautyculture,selfbodyimage,andaboutbeautyexpectations.As
quotedinthearticle,"Thereisthisblanketofculturaluneasinessthatcoverswomen
(andmen,increasingly)ofallshapes,sizes,ages,racialandethnicbackgrounds[and]no
oneisimmune,"saysLeslieGoldmanmeaningthatasasocietypeoplehavetheseideas
intheirheadsofwhatpeoplearesupposetolooklike.Peoplefromallovertheglobedo
anythingtheycantofitintothesmallboxofbeautystandardsthatsocietyhasplacedon
us.

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Throughthisarticle,Ihavegottentolearnthatbeautystandardsaresimplyabigpartof
oursociety,cultures,andtheworld.Thatstandardfacthelpsmetocometotermswith
whyLordHenrywouldpushDoriantostayperfectandbeautiful,tohideallofthewrong
hehasdoneandonlyshowhisbeautythatisontheoutside.Italsohelpedmeto
understandwhyDoriankepthisrottenanddecrepitselflockedawayintheportraitthat
hestoresawayandhides,whilehekeepshisyouthfulandbeautifulappearanceforthe
worldtoseeandadmire.

Beckson,Karl."OscarWilde:Overview."
Gay&LesbianLiterature
.Vol.1.Detroit:Gale,1994.
LiteratureResourceCenter
.Web.9Nov.2015.

InthisoverviewofOscarWilde'slife,ittouchesonthesubjectslikehisfeelings,beliefs
andlifestyle.Itinformsthereaderthathewasarrestedandconvictedincriminaltrials
heldinAprilandMayof1895underthenotoriousCriminalLawAmendmentActof
1885,whichstipulatedthatanyhomosexualactscommittedeitherinprivateorinpublic
werepunishablebytwoyearsathardlabor.Itexplainedthatjustafewdaysbeforehis
death,hemadecontactwithafriendtostarttosecretlygatherhomosexualsandgain
votesinhighplacestohopefullyrepealtheCriminalLawAmendmentAct.Inhishonor
onhis100thanniversaryofhisdeath,itwasfinallyrepealed.Wildebelievedin

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Hellenismandhehadaspecialappreciationforthearts.Allofthesecharacteristicsand
beliefsaretranslatedthroughhiswriting.

ThisarticledigsdeeplyintohisemotionsandmoralsofWildeandhowtheytranslate
intohisliterature.Forinstance,in
ThePictureofDorianGray
,itislockeddownthe
ideathatartshouldbeconcernedwithitsownperfectionratherthanwithmoral,political,
orreligiousissues.thisconnectswithWildesroleasAesthete,whichisapersonwitha
particularlygreatappreciationofartandbeauty.ThisroleofwhichWildetakesalsogoes
handinhandwithBasilHallward'sutterobsessionwithDorianGraysvisuallyperfect
physique.Thesebeliefsandalltogetherlifestylesinconnectiontothebookhelpsmeto
understandwhyWildewouldsaysuchthingsandhavesomanysecretsinhisstories.

Hill,Debora."OscarWilde:Overview."
Gay&LesbianBiography
.Ed.MichaelJ.Tyrkus
andMichaelBronski.Detroit:St.JamesPress,1997.
LiteratureResourceCenter
.
Web.8Nov.2015.

ThisbiographyofOscarWildedigsdeepintothegoodsandbads,thehardand
easy,theexploratoryandadventuroustimesinhislife.Wildewasbornintothe
upperclassofVictoriansociety.Thiswasoneofthemostrigidlydirectedsocieties

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theworldhaseverknown,andsoWildewoulddoeverythinghecouldpossiblydo
tobreakfreeoftheconfinementofthesocietyanditsstrongbarriers.Itwasinthe
late1800sthatWildebecameactiveintheLondongayscene.HemetAlfredTaylor
andthroughhimmetsomemaleprostitutesathishouse.Itwasin1891that
The
PictureofDorianGray
waspublishedandthecriticsfoundthebookquite
incomprehensiblesinceitwasaboutthedamningaccountofthehypocrisyof
VictorianEngland,itturnsouttobecomehismostpopularpiece.Around1894,
WildemetayoungmannamedDouglasandtogethertheyhadalonglastingfling
thateventuallysplituphismarriagetoConstanceLloyd.Manyoftheimportant
eventsinhislifetieintohiswriting.

Thebiography,bothinformativeandthoroughwasfilledoffactsaboutOscarWilde
andhislife.Thereaderlearnsthat,likein
ThePictureofDorianGray
,Wildelosthis
wifebeforehecouldexplainorsaysorrytoher.Alsolikeinthenovel,Wildewas
bornofrichbloodandintheVictorianEnglandera,sohewasexpectedtodogreat
thingssincehehadtheresourcestodosuchthings.Healsosharedfeelingsand
lifestylechoiceswithDorianGraylikerebellingagainstsociety'srestrictionsand
beinghomosexual.Itiseasierforthereadertounderstandliteraturemorefullyby
findingthesourceofitsinspiration,andmostofWildesinspirationisrichand
powerfulbecauseitisstraightfromhislife.

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"
LordArthurSavile'sCrimeandOtherStories
."
ShortStoryCriticism
.Ed.JosephPalmisano.
Vol.77.Detroit:Gale,2005.
LiteratureResourceCenter
.Web.8Nov.2015.

Inthiscriticismofshortstories,theauthortouchesontheeffectsandconnectionsof
recurringthemesorconcepts.TheauthorcriticizesOscarWilde'sworkofacollectionof
shortstories,hediscoveredthatWildehasusedthemeslikesocietalobligationand
selfawarenessandconceptsofoffate,duty,andlovethroughoutthemajorityofhis
writings.Thearticlealsotouchesonhowhewouldweaveintohiswritingconceptssuch
asAmericannavetaswellastheculturalandsocialsnobberyassociatedwiththe
Britisharistocracysohecouldconnectmoretothestoryfromhispersonalexperiences
involvingsocialrightfulness.

Thisarticlewasveryclearinitsopinionsandinitsinformativecriticism.Astheauthor
madeconnectionsbetweenWildesownhomosexualitywiththerecurringthemesof
societalobligationandselfawarenessandthathewouldcontinuouslycreateemphasison
thesenseofbeauty'srestorativepowermadeiteasiertounderstandhowDorianGray
couldstayhisperfectselfforallthoseyearswhileforthetimebeinghehadstoredallof
hisevilanduglinessintothepaintingsowhenhestabbedandslashedthedeformedand
monstrousportraitofhimselfhebecamehistrueselfoldanddecrepitaswasreflected
throughtheportrait.

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"ShanaMahaffey."
ContemporaryAuthorsOnline
.Detroit:Gale,2011.
LiteratureResource
Center
.Web.9Nov.2015.

ThisarticleisaboutabookwrittenbyShanaMahaffey'scalled
SoundsLikeCrazy
.
Thisbookisaboutagirl,Holly,whosuffersfromdissociativeidentitydisorder,or
DID.Hollyhasfivedifferentpersonalitiesthatcomeoutatdifferenttimesbecause
theyaretriggeredbythingsthatremindhertoprotectherselffromwhatcould
possiblyharmherbyswitchingtoadifferentpersonality.Shewasntjustbornlike
thiseither.Itwascausedbysometraumaticeventthattriggeredhertoprotect
herselfbyswitchingfrompersonalitytopersonality.

TMahaffeysperceptivearticleparsesthemotivesofBasilandLordHenry,
revealingDoriansvulnerability.EversinceBasilandhisdearfriendHenry
discoveredtheperfectandmarvelousMr.Gray,theyhavedesperatelytriedtokeep
himpureandperfectinthepeople'seyes.Itisbecauseoftheirrelentlesssuggestions
thatDorianhasatotallydifferentpublicappearancethanhedoesinprivate.The
changingportraitofhimisaphysicalrepresentationofhisprivateselfmeanwhile
heisstillthebeautifulandperfectDorianontheoutside.

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