Exploration of Youth and Beauty in "The Picture of Dorian Gray

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The Picture of Dorian Gray
Youth and Beauty
 
Anna Dukhovnikova
 
Importance of youth and beauty
 
In chapter two of TPODG, Lord Henry who emphasises the importance
of youth and beauty:
‘To me, Beauty is the wonder of wonders’
‘There is absolutely nothing in the world but youth’
‘Because you have the most marvellous you, and youth is the one
thing worth having’
Lord Henry’s views influence Dorian, which then causes him to react
the way he does when he sees his portrait and acknowledges his
beauty for the first time. This also contradicts Lord Henry’s negative
views on influence as he says ‘to influence a person is to give him one’s
own soul’.
 
Importance of youth and beauty
 
Aestheticism and decadence are themes in TPODG which reflect
Victorian society’s views towards youth and beauty
Aestheticism – the pursuit of, or devotion to, what is beautiful or
attractive to the senses
Decadence – the process of falling away or declining from a prior
state of excellence, vitality, prosperity etc.
Aestheticism was perfected between 1885-1895, a movement Oscar
Wilde was part of and the time he wrote TPODG. Dorian’s beauty
represents the aesthetically motivated people, whilst his decadent
behaviour shows the façade that was put on by the upper classes to
portray themselves as very moral people, whilst doing what was
considered to be immoral.
‘Dorian becomes aestheticism’s first martyr’ (Richard Ellman, Oscar)
 
The price of youth and beauty
 
In chapter two, Dorian recognises and acknowledges his own youth
and beauty when Basil reveals his finished portrait
Dorian says ‘how sad it is’ that ‘this picture will remain always
young’
He then wishes ‘if it were I who was to be always young, and the
picture that was to grow old!’
Dorian then concludes that for this ‘there is nothing in the whole
world I would not give’ and that ‘I would give my soul for that!’
As a result, Dorian trades his soul for eternal youth and beauty
 
The price of youth and beauty
 
The end of the novel appears to suggest that youth and beauty
cannot live on, but, art can. This can be concluded from the portrait
returning to its original form whilst Dorian is left ‘ withered,
wrinkled and loathsome of visage’.
Dorian had paid the ultimate price for immortality, yet could not
succeed
As the portrait aged in place of Dorian, it would also change in order
to reflect Dorian’s soul. This caused it to have ‘altered’, causing
Dorian to feel ‘sickened horror’. His initial response was to use it to
‘guide him through life’. However, after hearing about Sibyl Vane’s
death, Dorian wishes to use the portrait to ‘follow its mind into its
secret places’ as it had ‘revealed to him his own body, so it would
reveal to him his own soul’. This leaves Dorian fixated on using his
youth and beauty for pleasure in his hedonistic beliefs, knowing that
the portrait will deteriorate as his soul does.
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The significance of youth and beauty, aestheticism, decadence, and the price paid for eternal beauty are explored in "The Picture of Dorian Gray." Lord Henry's influence on Dorian's perception of beauty, the themes of aestheticism and decadence in Victorian society, and Dorian's ultimate realization of the price of eternal youth are detailed through key chapters and events in the novel.


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  1. The Picture of Dorian Gray Youth and Beauty Anna Dukhovnikova

  2. Importance of youth and beauty In chapter two of TPODG, Lord Henry who emphasises the importance of youth and beauty: To me, Beauty is the wonder of wonders There is absolutely nothing in the world but youth Because you have the most marvellous you, and youth is the one thing worth having Lord Henry s views influence Dorian, which then causes him to react the way he does when he sees his portrait and acknowledges his beauty for the first time. This also contradicts Lord Henry s negative views on influence as he says to influence a person is to give him one s own soul .

  3. Importance of youth and beauty Aestheticism and decadence are themes in TPODG which reflect Victorian society s views towards youth and beauty Aestheticism the pursuit of, or devotion to, what is beautiful or attractive to the senses Decadence the process of falling away or declining from a prior state of excellence, vitality, prosperity etc. Aestheticism was perfected between 1885-1895, a movement Oscar Wilde was part of and the time he wrote TPODG. Dorian s beauty represents the aesthetically motivated people, whilst his decadent behaviour shows the fa ade that was put on by the upper classes to portray themselves as very moral people, whilst doing what was considered to be immoral. Dorian becomes aestheticism s first martyr (Richard Ellman, Oscar)

  4. The price of youth and beauty In chapter two, Dorian recognises and acknowledges his own youth and beauty when Basil reveals his finished portrait Dorian says how sad it is that this picture will remain always young He then wishes if it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old! Dorian then concludes that for this there is nothing in the whole world I would not give and that I would give my soul for that! As a result, Dorian trades his soul for eternal youth and beauty

  5. The price of youth and beauty The end of the novel appears to suggest that youth and beauty cannot live on, but, art can. This can be concluded from the portrait returning to its original form whilst Dorian is left withered, wrinkled and loathsome of visage . Dorian had paid the ultimate price for immortality, yet could not succeed As the portrait aged in place of Dorian, it would also change in order to reflect Dorian s soul. This caused it to have altered , causing Dorian to feel sickened horror . His initial response was to use it to guide him through life . However, after hearing about Sibyl Vane s death, Dorian wishes to use the portrait to follow its mind into its secret places as it had revealed to him his own body, so it would reveal to him his own soul . This leaves Dorian fixated on using his youth and beauty for pleasure in his hedonistic beliefs, knowing that the portrait will deteriorate as his soul does.

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