Oscar Wilde was part of an aesthetic movement that examined art and its place in our lives. So this novel is part of his examination of that belief. It is his only novel and its strange premise of a portrait entwined with life has proved enduring. The dialog is very vivid in this story. That is no surprise. Wilde was a master at play writing.
All art is quite useless. OSCAR WILDE [from the preface]
Kind of a contradiction from a man whose prime directive was the role of art in life. But then artists are often contrarians .. .
"You don't understand what friendship is, Harry," he murmured--"or what enmity is, for that matter. You like every one; that is to say, you are indifferent to every one."
"How horribly unjust of you!" cried Lord Henry, tilting his hat back and looking up at the little clouds that, like ravelled skeins of glossy white silk, were drifting across the hollowed turquoise of the summer sky. "Yes; horribly unjust of you. I make a great difference between people. I choose my friends for their good looks, my acquaintances for their good characters, and my enemies for their good intellects. A man cannot be too careful in the choice of his enemies. I have not got one who is a fool. They are all men of some intellectual power, and consequently they all appreciate me.
And later
"Remembered what, Harry?"
"Where I heard the name of Dorian Gray."
"Where was it?" asked Hallward, with a slight frown.
"Don't look so angry, Basil. It was at my aunt, Lady Agatha's. She told me she had discovered a wonderful young man who was going to help her in the East End, and that his name was Dorian Gray. I am bound to state that she never told me he was good-looking. Women have no appreciation of good looks; at least, good women have not. She said that he was very earnest and had a beautiful nature. I at once pictured to myself a creature with spectacles and lank hair, horribly freckled, and tramping about on huge feet. I wish I had known it was your friend."
"I am very glad you didn't, Harry."
"Why?"
"I don't want you to meet him."
"You don't want me to meet him?"
"No."
"Mr. Dorian Gray is in the studio, sir," said the butler, coming into the garden.
"You must introduce me now," cried Lord Henry, laughing.
And so it begins!
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You know, speaking of purges. I read the complete works of Wilde (you could call it an omnibus book-you'll have to look at my answer to know what I mean) and then I gave the book away during one of my insane moments when I wanted to get rid of books that I hadn't read for a few years. Reading your review makes me regret it.
ReplyDeleteNew follower from the hop.
http://sharonhenning.blogspot.com/2011/08/crazy-for-book-blog-hop.html