The book regarded as a window towards other worlds is a commonly used and long-time repeated cliché in all literary and cultural contexts. But it was Richley Crapo’s words that the most distinctive feature separating humanity from animals is the ability to create symbols, to change meanings again and again. And Robert Harrison continues: “language is the ultimate place of human habitation… logos is that which opens the human abode on the earth”.
Just with its publishing in July 1890 Wilde’s book provoked diametrically different reactions. On one hand was the uncensored portrait of the hypocrisy of Victorian aristocracy that gave rise to the negative evaluations the novel received. On the other hand is the time evaluation that proves that “The picture…” is manifesto of Wilde as an author. Apology of the Beauty, the author as a messiah, the miracle of creation, the unique esthetic way of writing – all of this earned “The picture…” a place at the pantheon of the Canon.
A book heading is always a topic of various discussions. Either is understood as the profound need of the authors to give name to their creation, or it is considered as a relict from the old Bible maxima – In the beginning was the language”. The title is the first clue that leads us in the depths of fictional world.
The title of ‘The picture…’ gives us a model of reading and analyzing. The key for the interpretation as most of the critics consider the headline, is also a good old Enlightenment trick for advertisement.
With a wink to the structural analysis let’s take a closer look at the picture. The noun is grammatically defined which tells us that the picture is in fact at the center of the semantic situation. The accent is on the reflected image. Reflection is constantly used and loved practice in Literature. It is also considered as one of the most interesting ways of reconstructing the levels of the narrative. Despite the fact that the reflection which appears in the cold surface of the mirror is relatively the same as the reflected object/subject, the image at the painting is extremely depending on the artist/author’s intentions. It seems that the painted image is like palimpsest – absorbing the interpretations of the eyes of the others. And that means that all the interpretations of the image reflect the original object/subject.
Something more, the novel shows that in the course of painting Basil created much more than an ordinary portrait, he gave his masterpiece a part of his very soul. A soul transformed into conscious for Dorian Gray.
The first chapter as it seems purposely hides the physical presence of Dorian behind the curtains of the narrative stage. The artist Basil and his friend, Lord Henry, are the ones that fill the gap of Dorian’s missing by sharing their impressions of the person and his portrait. Basil fears the upcoming meeting between Henry and Dorian. But the real fear of the artist is the fear of losing the Self. He refuses to display his masterpiece to the world because it shows too much of himself to allow the public to see it. The picture has become an object of great importance it functions as a separate character with connotations of its own.
Basil fears turn out to be justified. Dorian is extremely attracted to the Lord’s persona. Henry is enigmatic, charismatic, taunting. Some critics connect the hero to Goethe’s Mefistofeles. The parallels are searched in the ability of the two characters to seduce, to offer forbidden knowledge, to appear as the enigmatic Other. They are both great talkers and story-tellers.
However during his love romance with Sybil Dorian turns to be the homme fatale. His actions constantly reveal at the canvas. The real Dorian trapped in the picture gets the grotesque and disfigured visage of someone spoiled by numerous sins.
The biggest advantage of “The picture of Dorian Gray” is that it succeeds in creating a picture of the greatest human desires – youth and immortality. ‘The picture…” is not a novel for human choice, it is for the consequence of that choice.
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