We are punished for our refusals. Every
impulse that we strive to strangle broods in the mind, and poisons us.
(See Important Quotations Explained)
Summary: The Preface
The Preface is a series of epigrams, or concise, witty
sayings, that express the major points of Oscar Wilde’s aesthetic
philosophy. In short, the epigrams praise beauty and repudiate the
notion that art serves a moral purpose.
Summary: Chapter One
The novel begins in the elegantly appointed
London home of Basil Hallward, a well-known artist. Basil discusses
his latest portrait with his friend, the clever and scandalously
amoral Lord Henry Wotton. Lord Henry admires the painting, the subject
of which is a gorgeous, golden-haired young man. Believing it to
be Basil’s finest work, he insists that the painter exhibit it.
Basil, however, refuses, claiming that he cannot show the work in
public because he has put too much of himself into it. When Lord Henry
presses him for a more satisfying reason, Basil reluctantly describes
how he met his young subject, whose name is Dorian Gray, at a party.
He admits that, upon seeing Dorian for the first time, he was terrified;
indeed, he was overcome by the feeling that his life was “on the
verge of a terrible crisis.” Dorian has become, however, an object
of fascination and obsession for Basil, who sees the young man every
day and declares him to be his sole inspiration. Basil admits that
he cannot bring himself to exhibit the portrait because the piece
betrays the “curious artistic idolatry” that Dorian inspires in
him.
Lord Henry, astonished by this declaration,
remembers where he heard the name Dorian Gray before: his aunt,
Lady Agatha, mentioned that the young man promised to help her with
charity work in the slums of London. At that moment, the butler announces
that Dorian Gray has arrived, and Lord Henry insists on meeting
him. Basil reluctantly agrees but begs his friend not to try to
influence the young man. According to Basil, Dorian has a “simple
and a beautiful nature” that could easily be spoiled by Lord Henry’s
cynicism.
Summary: Chapter Two
Dorian Gray proves to be every bit as a handsome as his
portrait. Basil introduces him to Lord Henry, and Dorian begs Lord
Henry to stay and talk to him while he sits for Basil. Basil warns
Dorian that Lord Henry is a bad influence, and Dorian seems intrigued
by this idea. Lord Henry agrees to stay and, while Basil puts the
finishing touches on the portrait, discusses his personal philosophy,
which holds that “the highest of all duties [is] the duty that one
owes to one’s self.” While Basil continues to work, Lord Henry escorts Dorian
into the garden, where he praises Dorian’s youth and beauty and
warns him how surely and quickly those qualities will fade. He urges
Dorian to live life to its fullest, to spend his time “always searching
for new sensations” rather than devoting himself to “common” or
“vulgar” pastimes.
Basil calls the men inside, and Dorian sits for another
quarter of an hour until the portrait is complete. It is a thing
of remarkable beauty—“the finest portrait of modern times,” Lord
Henry tells Basil—but looking at it makes Dorian unhappy. Remembering
Lord Henry’s warning about the advance of age, he reflects that
his portrait will remain young even as he himself grows old and
wrinkled. He curses this fate and pledges his soul “[i]f it were
only the other way.” Basil tries to comfort the young man, but Dorian
pushes him away. Declaring that he will not allow the painting to
ruin their friendship, Basil makes a move to destroy it. Dorian
stops him, saying that he loves the painting, and a relieved Basil
promises to give it to him as a gift. Dorian and Lord Henry depart
after Dorian promises, despite Basil’s objections, to go to the
theater with Lord Henry later that evening.
Analysis: The Preface–Chapter Two
The Preface to The Picture of Dorian Gray is
a collection of epigrams that aptly sums up the philosophical tenets
of the artistic and philosophical movement known as aestheticism.
Aestheticism, which found its footing in Europe in the early nineteenth
century, proposed that art need not serve moral, political, or otherwise didactic
ends. Whereas the romantic movement of the early and mid-nineteenth
century viewed art as a product of the human creative impulse that
could be used to learn more about humankind and the world, the aesthetic
movement denied that art must necessarily be an instructive force
in order to be valuable. Instead, the aestheticists believed, art
should be valuable in and of itself—art for art’s sake. Near
the end of the nineteenth century, Walter Pater, an English essayist
and critic, suggested that life itself should be lived in the spirit
of art. His views, especially those presented in a collection of
essays called The Renaissance, had a profound impact
on the English poets of the 1890s, most notably
Oscar Wilde.
