October 29

Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde

“Basil Hallward is what I think I am: Lord Henry what the world thinks me: Dorian what I would like to be – in other ages, perhaps”Considering what you know about Oscar Wilde’s background, respond to the above statement in a blog post (essay style). Make reference to the text in your response. Cite any sources you use.

This is a very interesting quote from Wilde as many critics and people accused and assumed that Wilde was gay for writing a story with homosexual underlines. Many also thought that Lord Henry was based on himself. Wilde addressed the critics with this single quote on his views of his personality. Wilde might think of himself as Basil as he writing this novel might have been inspired by his lover, like that of Basil and his work with Dorian. But keeping in might Wilde’s time period, we know that being or indulging in homosexual experiences was a criminal offense. So, Wilde comparing himself to Basil, who was the most humane character in the novel, to seem more innocent in his personal life, to seem more like a worker who is more obsessed with art then romance or friends.

With Lord Henry, its pretty self-explanatory, Lord Henry was basically the bad influence that corrupted Dorian Gray. Although Lord Henry is full of epigrams, which Wilde is most known for, that might not necessarily mean that Lord Henry is representative of Wilde’s personality. Personally, I cannot make an opinion about someone without knowing them. Yes, I see the similarities between the two but I also see the differences. So saying Lord Henry is based off Wilde himself is hard to say.

With Dorian Gray, it’s easier to make assumptions and feel confident with them. Dorian is considered this beautiful person that enchants everyone he meets, so naturally being a “Dandy,” that is their goal and Wilde being a dandy, this could have been what be meant by saying that he considered himself as Dorian. Another assumption is that like Dorian, he was influenced by his lover to be in a homosexual relationship, meaning that his lover was Lord Henry. Because Wilde was married and was mostly straight his whole life when he met his lover he got introduced to the world of homosexuality and got inspired to write this novel. He could have seen homosexuality as something like Romeo and Juliet, a forbidden love. Even though he denies having traits of these characters, I believe that is a lie, as all writers write their characters somewhat based on themselves.

 

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October 29

Oscar Wilde in the Picture of Dorian Gray (Contains spoilers)

Contains spoilers!!!!!

Don’t read if you have not read the book 

 

February 12th, 1894

Basil Hallward is what I think I am: Lord Henry is what the world thinks of me: Dorian what I would like to be- in other age, perhaps

-Oscar Wilde

 

 

 

Oscar Wilde lived during the time of the Victorian era but lived a life ahead of his time. In the letter seen above Wilde is reflecting on his characters in the Picture of Dorian Gray and himself. The three main characters of his 1891 novel all represent different types of people. Basil a hard-working artist who loves a man, but it is not loved back. Henry is a well-educated man who’s opinion is greatly influential. However, he is very controversial. Finally, Dorian is a vain man who only cares for the pleasures of life and enteral beauty. All of these characters reflect some part of Wilde’s persona.

Basil Hallward is what Wilde thinks of himself. This statement could have two meaning to it. The first being that he put too much of his real life/feelings into the book like Basil did with his paintings. “but I really can’t exhibit it. I have put too much of myself into it.” (6). Basil did not want to show his painting because he felt he has exposed himself. Wilde may have felt the same thing as the novel hints to things that Wide did in his life. The other meaning could be that he was in love with someone that did not love him back, that there was someone in his life that dominated him. “Harry, don’t talk like that. As long as I live, the personality of Dorian Gray will dominate me. You can’t feel what I feel. You change too often” (13). This may reflect how Wilde loved someone but they never loved him back. Having Basil love Dorian right up to the point that Dorian kills him lets Wilde express his forever love for someone. All in all, Basil could easily be an exaggerated version of Wilde.

Henry is what the world thinks of Wilde. Henry is the kind of person that rebels against the social norm, similar to Wilde. Wilde’s affairs during his marriage were hinted to through Henry. “You seem to forget that I am married, and the one charm of marriage is that it makes of life of deception absolutely necessary for both parties.” (7). This could be interpreted as you can be married and cheat and it will all be ok, which is what Wilde did do. The Victorian society also thought that Wilde was a bad influence and made people into people that they were not. Basil’s opinion of Henry could be seen as a reflection of people’s views on Wilde. “Don’t spoil him. Don’t try to influence him. Your influence would be bad. The world is wide, and has many marvellous people in it. Don’t take away from me the one person who gives to my art whatever charm it possesses: my life as an artist depends on him.” (15). Both these sides of Henry are very much things that Victorian society thought of Wilde.

Dorian Gray is what Wilde might like to be. Wilde lived a very lavish life and like to dress fancy. Dorian was able to do that and keep his beauty with him. “His finely-curved scarlet lips, his frank blue eyes, his crisp gold hair … all the candor of youth was there, as well as all youths passionate purity.” (16). Dorian looked beautiful and people admired him right up to the point that he killed himself. Wilde could have been saying that he would like to keep his looks for his whole life and to an extent chose when he dies. Dorian also lived life on his own terms and did what he wanted to do. This could be something that Wilde wanted for himself.

All three characters embody a different type of person, however, Wilde is really all three as parts of his life are reflected in all of the characters.

Works Cited

“Oscar Wilde.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 28 Apr. 2017, www.biography.com/people/oscar-wilde-9531078.

“The Picture of Dorian Gray.” SparkNotes, SparkNotes, www.sparknotes.com/lit/doriangray/characters.html.

 

 

 

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October 29

Oscar Wilde on his characters

In a letter dated February 12th, 1894, Wilde wrote:

“Basil Hallward is what I think I am: Lord Henry what the world thinks me: Dorian what I would like tobe-in other ages perhaps” [Holland and Hard Davis: 585]

Image result for oscar wilde gifs

In this quote, Oscar Wilde discusses his relationships with his characters from the book ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’. This quote is about the different perceptions people have and the author has on the characters in his novel. Basil Hallward is a painter who befriends Dorian Gray. Basil becomes obsessed with Dorian after meeting him at a party, and he finds Dorian’s beauty so rare and a new form of beauty. Oscar Wilde considers himself Basil, possibly due to his attraction to other men as well literature is a form of art so it could as well be a more literal response as Basil is an artist, so this is one way of applying himself into the novel. Basil is a kind-hearted man who lives in town full of sin, this could be related to Oscar Wilde as he lived in a town where he was known for his ‘sin’ as a homosexual. This could because Oscar Wilde did not believe what he was doing was a sin so not considering himself sinful and Basil is a very good man and probably the person with the least possibility of committing a sin.

Lord Henry is a nobleman and a close friend to Basil. What stands out the most about Lord Henry is that he is very well spoken, even though people may not completely agree with his criticism. Oscar Wilde said that Lord Henry is what the world thinks of him. This could be due to the fact that he is someone who has great use of language however not many people liked Lord Henry, which could reflect on him because he did go to jail for being a homosexual and many people didn’t like this as it was a sin and against the law to be gay, so he was also disliked by people.

Dorian Gray is a handsome, very liked young man whose portrait Basil Hallward paints. He comes under the influence of Lord Henry and begins to worry that his beauty won’t last. His wish is granted and he stays the same age and the painting the Basil did would age with the evil in him as well. Oscar Wilde said that Dorian Gray is who he wishes to be. This could be because of people always liking Dorian, there really isn’t anybody in the story, besides Sybil’s brother, who didn’t like Dorian. Dorian is very liked and is very admired for his looks. This could be what Oscar Wilde probably have never achieved. The title of the book ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ could relate back as this is the person Oscar Wilde wanted to be, he created the character from scratch so he painted exactly who he wanted to be. However, with the desire to be young and beautiful forever, Oscar Wilde shows that nothing so great could stay forever, or should live with a price such as the painting haunting him and Dorian becoming more and more devilish throughout the years is the price having to pay to keep good looks and youth.

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October 22

America: Black people in the 1950’s

In the 1950s, life in the U.S was still quite segregated. To further understand this conflict it is good to note the history of racial bias in America (mostly in the south). White Americans harbored a lot of hate towards black people with laws like the Jim Crow laws.

Jim Crow is a fictional character that comes from a song where people who were black were stereotyped and so they named the laws after the mockery that was represented in the song. These laws were full of things such as black people and white people not drinking from the same water fountains and black people not using the same bathrooms as white people. I also looked into the politics at the time, where whigs were racist, and republicans represented more people. After some time, the whig party collapsed and as republicans became more concerned with the business aspect and power, they completely disregarded the black people who voted for them at the start and so white Americans started to be republican, and democrats started listening to minority groups and started the movement for hispanic people and black people. This is similar to the way republicans and democrats are today.

The 1950s were when black people and their struggle were a big part of day to day American life. By 1954, the Brown v. Board of education ruled that black children and white children should learn in the same environment and that black people’s facilities were “inherently unequal”, and so Jim Crow laws were becoming a less dominant feature in the U.S. This made White Americans furious, and many started a revolt, so much so that the first black children to enter an all-white school had to be escorted to school by the army because people threw acid on them and spit on them. By 1955, Rosa Parks had been arrested for refusing to get up on the bus for a white person to sit down, and this made national headlines. People were boycotting buses and establishments that supported this, which was a base for the 1960s and the black movement then, where people and events like Martin Luther King Jr. and the Selma march for black voting rights came about. In a way, the 1950s were a small step towards more equal rights for black and white people.

  

Eilis and her opportunities:

Eilis was lucky in comparison to many other immigrants trying to get into the U.S at that time. She had everything arranged for her by a priest, and although she was Irish, which was still perceived as different, she was still white. She went into the U.S. with a fresh mindset as well, so she had not ever seen black people, and she did not fully understand why people were as racist as they were to begin with. Furthermore, she went to night classes which I can assume were full of different kinds of white people but no black people. I came to that conclusion because the first time she dealt with an African American was in Bartocci’s, and when she mentioned the “diversity” in her class she mentioned jewish people and Italians but not black people. She had a relatively easy experience compared to most immigrants because on her way there she also had someone to guide her and give her tips, and a job and a home.

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October 22

Oscar Wilde – Aesthetic Movement

Dandy – a man unduly concerned with looking stylish and fashionable.

How To Guide To The Victorian Era If You Ever Get Transported Back In Time

Step 1: How to speak the language

The Victorian Era is notorious for its old English language and big words, best to always carry a dictionary. Also, the posh accent is key. Everyone talked with a posh accent.

Step 2: The Dress Code

Everyone dressed like they were attending a fancy dinner party every day. Men always wore top hats, suits, top coats, canes, the more extra the better. Women preferred the A-symmetrical style. They wore corsets under their dresses and wore petticoats. They liked dressing like royalty every day.

Step 3: Literature

Victorians loved “creepy” literature. Nowadays when people think or set stories in that era, its always in a creepy and scary setting. So acting like your hiding a big secret every day is key to their aesthetic

Step 4: Transport

Everybody rode in style; a horse and carriage. Nobody rode cars cause they weren’t invented.

 

There, now if you ever are randomly transported to the Victorian Era you MIGHT survive. Just make sure your not gay or a prostitute. Good Luck!

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October 18

Victorian Values

The Victorian values were originally made in the late 1800’s by Queen Victoria during her reign as queen of the British empire. The Victorian values were hard work, focus on personal success, morals, and the Christian church. Religion (Christianity) was very important for them and this gave the church a lot of power over the country. Elitism was also another big aspect of this era as wealthier people were more respected overall.

 

In terms of social values, married women were expected to keep the household running by cleaning, and cooking. Unmarried women would spend their spare time socializing to find a suitable husband. If you were a poor woman without a husband then you would be forced to work in factories. Finally, the rich women would live easily lives without having to work or do anything. They would have a lot of servants however they would also receive no inheritance when someone died. On the other hand, though, the men would be expected to work longer shifts and to get money for their families.

 

All the different men and women constituted the social class system at the time. Wealthy families would always inherit fortune and wouldn’t need to work. These were called the Royal Class. Then, the upper working class would perform skilled labor while the lower working class would perform unskilled labor. These two classes were the ones most affected by the recent Industrial Revolution in the 1820’s. Finally, there were the “sunken people”, which were the homeless, sick, and unskilled people.

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October 18

The Victorian Era: Hypocrisy and Double Standards

Hypocrisy

the practice of claiming to have higher standards or more noble beliefs than is the case : behavior that contradicts what one claims to believe or feel
~
The Victorian Era occurred during the period of Queen Victoria’s reign from June 20th, 1837, until her death on January 22, in 1901. During this period, the main feature that ruled society was the severe case of class separation- the Victorian era was a time before basic child labor laws were passed, unions were allowed to be created in order to represent employee rights, and the higher class and rich ruled society. Image was a very important feature during this time period, and there were precise etiquette that everyone needed to follow- for example, for women, there were rules about what to wear (both jewelry and clothes), who and when to speak to someone, who to walk with, who to dance with, and more. Men had to be aware of the time to bow, tip their hats, where to sit and besides who, and if it was an appropriate time to drink or smoke (especially if there was a woman present). On the other hand, the huge gap between the rich and the poor made the class distinctions even more present in society. The poor, or working class had to work up to 16 hours a day of hard labor with barely any pay. For example in the Triangle Factory Fire, young women were ordered by their bosses to be locked in their building while they sewed shirts. However, when the building caught on fire,, they were not able to escape and 146 people died.

The Victorian Era focused so highly on appearances and image, that it was total hypocrisy. A commonly seen example of this deception was the events that the higher or wealthy class would constantly host in order to help the lower class. It was a general occurrence for lunch, dinner, or ballroom events to be set up with the purpose of collecting money in order to donate it to the working classes, or to foundations with the purpose of helping the less fortunate. The truth behind these events was that if a person from the higher class would encounter someone from the lower class, they would completely disregard them or be disturbed by their presence. Another angle that displays this hypocrisy, is that many of the families who were ‘raising money’ to help the poor, were also the ones forcing them to do heavy labor without rest in unethical conditions, and the ones paying them barely enough to live.

Sources:

  1. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hypocrisy
  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_era
  3. http://www.victorian-era.org/victorian-era-duality-double-standards.html
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October 17

Oscar Wilde’s vices and virtues- his fall to disgrace

Key terms

Vices-  immoral or wrong behaviour

Virtues- showing high moral standards in behaviour

During Oscar Wildes life his main virtues were that he has highly creative, he was brave and confident, which can be seen with the decision he made and things he did during his life that may not have been the norm. However, his vices were that he was wild and stubbornness.

His fall to disgrace was because of stubbornness as he ignored what other people said and stuck to the aestheticism. This also allowed for him to use his creativity to write his plays and novel.

 

Useful website https://prezi.com/zyoj-r66z-90/vice-and-virtue-victorian-hypocrisy/

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October 17

The Victorian Era: ‘Double Standards and Hypocrisy’

During the Victorian Era, there were strict social codes and certain pretenses that the English public had to keep in order to maintain their social status. The Victorian Era was also known as the Two-faced era as people put on a front of nobility to be accepted and valued in society but behind the scenes, there were issues with homosexuality, brothels, and prostitution which were regarded as severe crimes during the Era. The strict social codes limited people to whom they can marry specifically in their social class and who they can form friendships and relationships with. Additionally, many famous icons felt obligated to lead a secret scandalous life behind the public’s back due to the severe punishments and the social humiliation they receive. Amongst those famous people was the author Oscar Wilde who was a phenomenal writer during the Era and lead quite a sumptuous lifestyle but behind hidden door faced many challenges specifically regarding his homosexuality. Due to the occurring scandals, Oscar Wilde lost everything he owned and suffered as he was sentenced to prison.

As lots of people led a double life during the Victorian Era which leads to high-status people sent to prison and having their career crash because of their homosexuality. Wealthy families were always expected to become some type of a role model to the other people, therefore, a lot of pressure of subjected on the wealthy as they were expected to marry from their own social status. Moreover, this concludes that the high-class people weren’t usually who they said they’d be. This all leads us to question, to what extent does being involved and considered part of the high social status actually beneficial when you are forced to live a life of secrecy and hiding, which feels like it isn’t your own? And is it really worth having a title if you are going to suffer for your personal choices? How would that affect people psychologically in the future other than living an exterior shell of a life that they don’t want to be part of?

 

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