Critical Analysis of The Picture of Dorian Gray
Learn Further ▾ Background Plot Summary Chapters Summary Critical Analysis Themes Quotes Character Analysis Symbols Motifs Q&As Presentation Slides The Picture of Dorian Gray: Analysis Gothic Horror and Themes The novel is analyzed as a Gothic horror tale, featuring elements of supernatural dread and moral decay. It explores the theme of the ‘double,’ where Dorian’s outward appearance contrasts sharply with his corrupted soul. Dorian’s pact with his portrait echoes the Faustian motif of selling one’s soul for eternal youth, akin to the German legend of Faust. The discovery of Dorian’s grotesque corpse at the end parallels the shocking reveal in Robert Louis Stevenson’s "Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde." Aestheticism and Decadence Oscar Wilde embeds the novel with late nineteenth-century aestheticism and decadence. Lord Henry Wotton serves as the voice of the aesthetic movement, advocating for new sensations and pleasure over traditional morality. Wilde’s preface emphasizes the novel’s …