OSCAR WILDE

-He was born in Dublin in 1854, he was a brilliant student at the Trinity College in Dublin.
-In 1884 he married a woman who gave him two children.
-He writes for women’s magazine, a story for children (The Happy Prince and Other Tales), and in
1890 he published The Picture of Dorian Gray, his works was attached as immoral, but they were
extremely successful.
-He became involved in a legal case related to a homosexual affair.
-He was imprisoned for two years, when he was released, he was a Broken man and spent the rest
of his life in France.

Ideology

The aestheticism is an artistic and literary movement that considers fundamental value of beauty,
in the name of art everything is lawful as it is considered the greatest value of life.
For the esthete, the absolute values of life are a search for refined and rare sensations, an
exasperated cult of beauty and the pleasure that derives from it.
Art is man's supreme activity, the value given to beauty also justifies violations of morality.

He was a Dandy, is a refined and elegant man who combined a strong taste for elegance and an
attention of his appearance, clothes and style. He is an individual who renounces all moral values
for personal pleasure.

THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY

Plot

Tells the story of a rich and beautiful young man. He has a portrait of himself by Basil Hallward, he
sacrifices his soul for maintain his beauty forever. Dorian starts and Hedonistic life of pleasure,
crime and corruption. His physical appearance remains young and beautiful and portrait becomes
old and ugly.
At the end Dorian stabs the portrait and kills himself.

Themes

The double
The contrast between good and evil, the appearance and reality
Aestheticism’s typical cult of beauty