The Picture of Dorian Gray (87-152)

As I continued reading The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, I could not help but take notice of the charming little witticisms that the author is so famous for. I was so taken by one of them, that I have decided to share. Here, Lord Henry Wotton, a cynic and member of the leisure class, and Basil Hallward, a famous artist, discuss the marriage of their friend, Dorian Gray:

"Dorian Gray is engaged to be married," said Lord Henry, watching him as he spoke.

Hallward started, and then frowned. "Dorian engaged to be married!" he cried. "Impossible!"

"It is perfectly true."

"To whom?"

"To some little actress or other."

"I can't believe it. Dorian is far too sensible."

"Dorian is far too wise not to do foolish things now and then, my dear Basil."

"Marriage is hardly a thing that one can do now and then, Harry."

"Except in America," rejoined Lord Henry, languidly. "But I didn't say that he was married. I said he was engaged to be married. There is a great difference. I have a distinct remembrance of being married, but I have no recollection at all of being engaged. I am inclined to think that I was never engaged." (87)

This quotation is admittedly not particularly profound in any cosmic sense or even crucial within the book, but it demonstrates the dry humor and stinging satire that is Oscar Wilde. Of course, the joke is the double entendre. "Engaged" in this sense does not mean "betrothed" but rather "involved." The author is mocking the lack of fidelity in marriage not only in Victorian London, but America as well.

Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. New York: Quality Paperback Book Club, 1993. Print.

The Picture of Dorian Gray (1-86)

I recently began reading The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, a task which I admittedly initiated with some trepidation. However, the book thus far turned out to be humorous and easy to read, especially for one that has been dubbed a "classic." The story is about a young man who sells his soul so he may forever remain beautiful while a painting of himself ages. As of yet, my favorite quotation regards the thoughts that cross through the title character's mind when he first sets eyes on his portrait, painted by a friend and great artist of the time, Basil Hallward. Dorian Gray has only recently met Lord Henry Wotton, a friend of Hallward's, who has warned Dorian Gray that youth and beauty is all he possesses and that it will disappear with time.

Dorian made no answer, but passed listlessly in front of his picture and turned toward it. When he saw it he drew back, and his cheeks flushed for a moment with pleasure. A look of joy came into his eyes, as if he had recognized himself for the first time. He stood there motionless and in wonder, dimly conscious that Hallward was speaking to him, but not catching the meaning of his words. The sense of his own beauty came on him like a revelation. He had never felt it before. Basil Hallward's compliments had seemed to him to be merely the charming exaggerations of friendship. He had listened to them, laughed at them, forgotten them. They had not influenced his nature. Then had come Lord Henry Wotton with his strange panegyric on youth, his terrible warning of its brevity. That had stirred him at the time, and now, as he stood gazing at the shadow of his own loveliness, the full reality of the description flashed across him. Yes there would be a day when his face would be wrinkled and wizen, his eyes dim and colorless, the grace of his figure broken and deformed. The scarlet would pass away from his lips, and the gold steal from his hair. The life that was to make his soul would mar his body. He would become dreadful, hideous, and uncouth. (30)

This paragraph struck me as being filled with emotion and insatiable longing. It captures the exact moment when Dorian Gray realizes how fleeting youth and beauty are - how fast and how far he can descend from the ideal to the grotesque. Oscar Wilde orchestrates the reaction perfectly. From this moment on in the book, Dorian Gray, in a effort to savor life while he can, plunges into a world of sin and hedonism from which there is no return.

Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. New York: Quality Paperback Book Club, 1993. Print.