1) How does the novel characterize decadence? Is it a complete praise of the
movement, or does it problematize it?
2) Is the female a body made only for consumption? Is she denied personnel pleasure?
3) Discuss how the novel depicts class structure through its depiction of art.
Picture of Dorian Gray
Chapter 1
Pg 10: Look at how Basil meets Dorian. Ask yourself, what in the description tells you
the scene is homo-erotic.
Pg 10: The novel primarily attacks Victorianism (remember than Oscar Wilde was part
of the decadence movement. Look at the way lady Brandon is described, especially her
relationship with her guests. What Victorian objective is this passage against?
Pg 11: How are the lower classes described?
Pg 12-13: Art is supposed to inspire others to art. This section shows one of the
premises of the aesthetic movement. How is Dorian inspiring Basil?
Pg 14: Art has become too middle class. It has become preachy and too obsessed with
money and bourgeois ideals.
Chapter 2
Pg 16-17: What does basil think of philanthropy. How does he depict female
philanthropists?
Pg 18: Lord Henry argues that philanthropy robs personal development. How does he
argues this?
Pg 18-19: Look carefully at how Lord Henry argues that the pursuit of life is pleasure.
Why does he argue this?
Pg 21: “To cure the soul by means of the senses, and the senses by means of the
soul.” What does this mean?
Pg 22-23 What is Lord Henry promoting? What are the “vulgar” ideas he is against?
How is what he is promoting different than Victorian ideals?
Pg 23: What do women seek in romance? Why would they seek this? Why would Lord
henry disdain this?
Chapter 3
pg 29-39: Consider the aristocrat lifestyle and excess in these pages. How are these
against Victorian values?
Pg 32: what are the effects of more liberal pursuits on women? What happens to
Dorian's mother. Note the disdain.
Pg 32: What American values is the novel criticizing?
Pg 33-34: Look at how this novel seems to be Lord Henry's experiment. How does this
connect to Decadence, and the need to stimulate the senses.
Pg 37: How does the language support Henry's assessment that the philanthropic rich
are hypocrites?
Pg 38: What are happening to his senses on this page? Notice how this overload is
interrupted by the "reality" of the servant. What does this say about decadence and
working class values?
Chapter 4
Pg 42-43: How does this page discuss marriage? What Victorian concepts of marriage
are being refuted? What does Lord Henry claim about women? How is this sexist?
Pg44: How does Lord Henry's appraisal of aristocratic love show the pragmatism of the
lower classes?
Pg 48-49: When assessing Dorian's love of Sibyl, ask yourself what does he
Really love? How does this tie into Decadent literature? How is his pursuit sexist as
well?
Pg 52: Consider that Dorian is Lord Henry's work of art. Look at how the language
supports this, and then consider how Henry claims that all we ever do is really work on
ourselves. Dorian therefore is an experience that only serves to develop Lord Henry.
Ties is in to decadence.
Chapter 5
Pg 53: What are Sibyl’s mother’s concerns? Think how money dominates their life, and
remember class responsibilities. What is the danger of a fairy tale narrative like “Prince
Charming?”
Pg56: What in this page suggests that women should be afraid of male callers? What is
James so afraid of?
Pg 57-58: Look at how involved Sibyl gets with an imaginary narrative. Again question
what the dangers are of doing this to a women?
Pg 59: How is Jim voicing serious class concerns? Think about this fear of “slavery.”
Consider how narratives of spurious hopes keep people down.
Pg 62-63: The mother’s melodramatic moment is lost by the reality of work. Consider
how this language supports that Decadence is only possible for the rich.
Chapter 6
Pg 65: Lord Henry argues the narcissism of our intentions.
Pg 66-67: Consider that marriage is practical to women. Why would it be practical?
Why would the aristocrat want to avoid a business transaction? How is marriage and
class associated? Marriage and gender?
Pg 68: Who gets to consume beauty? Why? Why is marriage again being described as
trade? Why would this language fit a woman’s interest in marriage? Remember, that
the language being used here reflects class and gender concerns.
Chapter 7
Pg 70: The language disparages this middle class theatre. Pay attention to how it
describes people's uncouth behaviour.
Pg 72-73: Look at how the text appraises Sibyl's acting. She is acting fake. Isn't all
acting fake? What makes her particularly fake? Try to identify what makes a great
artist through this section.
Pg 74-75: Sibyl claims to have found some Platonic truth. Read the passage and
remind yourself of the allegory of the cave. Her art suffers, however, when she starts
looking for some realistic interpretation of life. How is this a critic against realist art?
How does this praise Decadent art?
Pg 76: The novel aestheticizes Dorian's cruelty. Look at how his bad behaviour is
described like art.
Pg 79-80: The portrait is moralizing now. It has become realist art that represents his
mean character. It supposedly inspires him to better action. If you read the last
paragraph of the chapter, however, throwing open the window seems to reignite his old
love. What is it about the window that is different from the portrait? How is the window
a representation of decadence?
Chapter 8:
Pg 82: Again look at how he describes the painting as realist art. What is realist art
supposed to inspire people to do?
Pg 86-87: Lord Henry aestheticizes tragedy. Sibyl's death is beautiful bot because of
any moral consideration, but because of her effect on Dorian. She becomes art
because she inspires him through death.
Pg 87-88: He describes ordinary women as people who seek to console themselves.
Everything they do is to appease their bland nature. Sibyl is different because she has
become a work of art.
Pg 91: Narcissus and mirrors. The work of art becomes a reflection of him. He attains
a morbid fascination of himself through it.
Chapter 9:
Pg 92zzz: Dorian describes how art is the only thing that gives expression to life. Look
at how he says this, and connect this to the question on Decadence.
Pg 94: Try to break how this paragraph argues a search for sensation. What type of
self-mastery is the novel addressing? What kind of art production is he discussing?
Pg 96: Symbolic Act: Dorian insists that Basil should not look at the picture because it
reveals too much about Dorian. This is against Decadent art. Decadent art is not
supposed to be realistic. It is not supposed to be about morality.
Pg 97-98: Look at Dorian's effect on Basil. Remember that Aestheticism was how
experience translates into an art, and that Decadence, a branch of Aestheticism, looks
at the artistic outcome of negative experiences.
Look at what Basil decides art should be, and what he declares his failure is with his
portrayal of Dorian.
Chapter 10:
Pg 100-101: The working class is always working. They could never fully understand
art. Also look at the servants' preoccupation with making sure Dorian doesn't work.
Pg 103: Again, pay attention to how Hubbard works, while Dorian does nothing.
Consider the class divide.
Pg 106-107: The novel that he is reading alludes to a novel by Huysmans. Look at how
the novel is described. Look at it's effect on Dorian. This is a decadent work.
Chapter 11:
Pg 108-109: Relationship with the portrait illustrates his Decadent pursuits. He is
enjoying the ugly and the grotesque.
Pg 110-111: What effect does the novel make by describing the pursuit of senses like a
starved animal? How is this both a criticism of society, and a criticism of the senses he
wants to unleash?
* Pg 111-112: Look closely as Wilde describes the newly awakened consciousness of
the Aesthete. Look carefully at the new relationship with life.
Pg 112: Look how Dorian involves himself in everything with zeal, but never completely
commits to anything.
Pg 120: Look at the negative repercussions of Decadence. What are they?
Pg 124: The last paragraph sums up Decadence. It's obvious.
Chapter 12
Pg 127: Basil's questioning hints at all the homoerotic affairs Dorian is having. This
would sully a person's name in Victorian England.
Pg 128: Dorian argues that he middle class use Victorian morality to try and gain the
upper hand.
Chapter 13:
Pg :132: Basil's shock is yet another negative experience for Dorian.
Pg 133-134: The image of the wild animal comes back. Look at how Dorian acts and
consider the previous description of a wild animal.
Chapter 14
Pg 139-140: Campbell and Dorian represent the deterioration of a homosexual
relationship.
Pg 140-141: Dorian's senses are overindulged. Look at this as the potential madness of
decadence.
Pg 144: The secret letter is a bribe that will reveal their homosexual relationship. Just
imagine how homosexuals had to lead a secret life. Just imagine how this novel has to
code the secret as well.
Chapter 15
Pg 148: Lady Narborough describes her family's work ethic. Consider her as an
economically successful aristocrat. Consider this as a subtle critique of the excess that
Dorian extolls.
Pg 150-151: Look at the different priorities of marriage. What do women want? What
do men want?
Pg 154: Look at how the opium use is described as an overindulgence of the senses.
Chapter 16
Pg 155: Look at the opium den. There's a complete madness of the senses. Look at
how the "public-house" is described. The lower classes seem a lot more brutish than
the upper classes. Look at the debauchery of his chapter and compare it to the
elegance of the last.
Pg 156: There is some irony here. Decadence is an aristocratic endeavour. Yet
Dorian, looking for the ultimate sensation is hanging out with the lower classes and
acting as debauched as possible.
Pg 162: Look at the condition of the old woman. What has she lost in leading a
hedonistic life? What state is she in now?
Chapter 17
Pg 163: Lord Henry degrades realist literature as a working class phenomenon.
Pg 164-165: Throughout the page Lord Henry ridicules Victorian values.
Pg 166: Dorian disassociates pleasure from happiness. His endeavour is, after all,
Decadent.
Chapter 18:
Pg 170: Look at how callously the aristocrats deal with James's death. There's a huge
class divide here.
Pg 172: Dorian confesses the extent of his over-consumption. He feels worn out. Is
this the negative extent of decadence?
*pg: 173-174: Look at how the duchess decries her marriage. Is passion only available
to men? What considerations would hold women back from this?
Chapter 19
pg 177: Dorian would destroy Hetty if they continued their relationship. The allusion to
Ophelia shows the negative consequence of an aristocrat seeing another class.
Ophelia committed suicide.
*Pg 179: Lord Henry is separating crime from Decadence. He calls crime vulgar.
Decadence is never supposed to be vulgar since vulgarity belongs to the lower classes.
Crime also implies a hidden act. Lord Henry is promoting the public consumption of
people. Crime does not match public consumption.
Pg 183: Is Lord Henry Talking about the Picture of Dorian Gray? How does this novel
demonstrate this line?
Chapter 20:
Pg 186-187: Dorian recognizes that even good deeds are just an excuse for a new
experience. Acting good is ultimately hypocritical.