Vocabulary
Petulant – (Of a person or their manner) childishly sulky or bad-tempered.
Philanthropy - the desire to promote the welfare of others, expressed especially by the generous donation of money to good causes.
Paradox - A statement or proposition that, despite sound (or apparently sound) reasoning from acceptable premises, leads to a conclusion that seems senseless, logically unacceptable, or self-contradictory.
Caprice – A sudden and unaccountable change of mood or behavior.
Panegyric – A public speech or published text in praise of someone or something.
Candour – The quality of being open and honest in expression; frankless.
Fidelity – Faithfulness to a person, cause, or belief, demonstrated by continuing loyalty and support.
Physiology – The branch of biology that deals with the normal functions of living organisms and their parts.
Chapter 1 Literary Elements
Setting: London, England
There is a unique characterization of Lord Henry on the first page.
There is definitely a unique diction that “paints us a better picture” of the setting.
“The dim roar of London was
like the bourdon note of a distant organ.”
“Your cynicism is simply a pose.”
“The blue cloud- shadows chased themselves across the grass
like swallows.”
“It is
like a bric-à-brac shop, all monsters and dust, and everything priced above its proper value.”
“How horribly unjust of you!’ cried Lord Henry, tilting his hat back, and looking up at the little clouds that were drifting across the hollowed turquoise of the summer sky,
like ravelled skeins of glossy white silk.”
“The wind shook some blossoms from the trees, and the heavy lilac blooms, with their clustering stars, moved to and fro in the languid air.”
Analysis
When we first hear of Dorian Gray, it is threw Basil’s “beautiful” painting. According to Lord Henry, this is Basil’s best work yet. He “must certainly send it next year to the Grosvenor.” Lord Henry describes Dorian Gray as a young Adonis, who looks as if he was made of ivory and rose-leaves.
In Chapter 2, as Lord Henry sees Dorian in person, he starts to see how “handsome” Dorian is. He has “Finely-curved scarlet lips, frank blue eyes and crisp gold hair. There was also something in his face that made one trust him at once.”
When Basil starts to talk about his first encounter with Dorian Gray, we see as that they appear to be “soul mates.” Basil states he “became conscious that someone was looking at [him]. He turned half-way round and saw Dorian Gray for the first time.” After running into an acquaintance, Basil got a chance to be introduced to Dorian Gray. Whether they met because of Basil’s acquaintance or not, Dorian had felt that they were destined to know each other.
References to Music
“The dim roar of London was like the bourdon note of a distant organ.”
“Sir Humpty Dumpty”
While Lord Henry was babbling on to Dorian, the author compared his voice to a low, musical voice.
When Dorian had asked Lord Henry to stop, after thinking, the author states Dorian had “touched some secret chord, that had never been touched before, but that he felt was now vibrating and throbbing to curious pulses.”
Examine the Interaction
Lord Henry is extremely intrigued and curious about Dorian Gray. He keeps insisting that the world should see the painting of Dorian Gray and he keeps insisting that Basil should tell him everything and more about Dorian. In fact, when Dorian arrives, Lord Henry, although Basil wishes him not to, insists that Basil introduces Dorian to him.
When Lord Henry finally gets the chance to meet Dorian, he uses hit wit and manipulating attitude to change Dorian’s attitude about life. Because of Lord Henry, Dorian takes time to reflect on his life and his “beauty” and comes to believe that Lord Henry is correct. Now Dorian would rather listen to Lord Henry than spend time with Basil as he finds Lord Henry as a more valuable and insightful person.
Cause and Effect
At first Dorian is ready to breakout in tears. After the talk Dorian had with Lord Henry, he now believes that all he has that is important in this world is beauty. Now when he looks at the painting, Dorian finally comes to realize how beautiful he really is and all that beauty to be lost. Although he adores the painting as it captures himself better than anything else, Dorian hates the painting as it will forever seal its beauty while Dorian is left to lose it.
Compare and Contrast
Basil is completely different from Lord Henry. Basil likes to lead a life of secrecy where what he does is his own business. He does not care whether he is popular, nor does he care what other people think about him. He just wants to enjoy his passion for art and his passion for secrecy. Lord Henry on the other hand admires a rich lifestyle filled with grace and beauty. As he stated in chapter 1, he chooses his friends for their good looks, his acquaintances for their characters and his enemies for his brains. This is because no one could possibly be any better than him. They can only be equal, and that is if they share his same “olive-green” beauty and rich life style.
The conflict between the two arises from this. While Lord Henry finds life to be all about beauty and living in a beautiful manner, Basil feels as though there is more to life than just beauty.
Research and Correlate
Dorian Gray has the appearance of Hermes because of his golden hair (and overall appearance) and very light personality. However, at this stage in Dorian’s life, I can never picture him looking like a faun. A faun is extremely ugly, being half beast half human. A faun is unkempt and has all the features that an old man would. Although Dorian may look like a faun in his older age, he certainly does not resemble one in his current age.
Free Write on Prediction
I believe that, by Dorian becoming friends with Lord Henry, the friendship between Dorian and Basil will completely break. This is because Basil is pretty much the complete opposite of Lord Henry. While Lord Henry is beautiful and believes in a beautiful, outlandish lifestyle, Basil would like to keep to himself and keep a low profile. The unfortunate part is that Lord Henry is both persuasive and manipulative. Because of this, he is able to say little remarks that change Dorian’s entire attitude. This change is deviating from the attitude that Basil used to know, and therefore their friendship will deviate as well.
Chapter 2 Literary Elements
‘Just turn your head a little more to the right, Dorian,
like a good boy,’
“It is one of the great facts of the world,
like sunlight, or spring-time, or the reflection in dark waters of that silver shell we call the moon.”
“The sense of his own beauty came on him
like a revelation.”
“As he thought of it, a sharp pang of pain struck
like a knife across him, and made each delicate fibre of his nature quiver.”
“Lord Henry went out to the garden, and found Dorian Gray burying his face in the great cool lilac-blossoms, feverishly drinking in their perfume
as if it had been wine.”
“He felt
as if a hand of ice had been laid upon his heart.”
The Setting is still in Basil’s studio.
The flower seemed to quiver.
