The Dorian Gray Effect: Legacy, Scandal, and the Cult of the Aesthetic

Abstract

This research proposes a systematic and comprehensive investigation of Oscar Wilde's work focusing on The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890), widely regarded as the centrepiece of his aesthetic and philosophical discourse. The study begins by contextualizing the author's biography and education, emphasizing the decisive influence of Greco-Roman classicism and the reverberations of Victorian aestheticism. These cultural landmarks are examined to elucidate how they are intricately integrated into the novel's ideational and narrative structure. A detailed analysis of the paradigmatic oppositions Wilde mobilizes-idealism and materialism, spirit and body, truth and appearance-is offered to highlight the dialectical relationship between art and existence, a recurring theme throughout his oeuvre. 

The analytical approach also considers Wilde's biographical condition, particularly his inner and social exile, reflected in the moral and aesthetic tensions experience by the protagonist within the context of a declining Victorian society. It aims to decode the novel's symbolic and aesthetic dimensions while situating it within the broader discourse of Wilde's contemporary aesthetic and ethical debates, exploring his ambivalence toward both traditional and modern values. This approach contributes to a nuanced and in-depth interpretation of Wilde's work, revealing the stratifications of his artistic discourse and the associated identity issues, in alignment with modern critical perspectives.