Contradiction in The Picture of Dorian Gray

Slightly confused with old Oscar's little novel. I may be missing a point here, however...

In short:

Messages of The Picture of Dorian Gray:
• Aesthetic morality is flawed
• The Picture of Dorian Gray is the real Dorian Gray
• Influencing an individual is to take away their soul
• Argues for Art and Beauty to be isolated

Wilde's Claims:
• All art is useless
• Art expresses nothing but itself
• Art should not be concerned with morality, politics, etc.
• Art should be beautiful and nothing more

Contradictions:
• All art is useless - Its use is to manifest all it has to say. Wilde wants to put forth his artistic agenda; the statement is like "all statements are wrong": it's contradictory.
•Art expresses nothing but itself - This work doesn't "conceal the artist"! The entire book drips with Wilde's own contentions, ideas, philosophies, principles, wit and style.
•Art should not be concerned with politics, morality etc. - It is heavily concerned with contemporary Victorian standards and morals and Lord Henry exists as a bulldozer to Victorian social convention.

Its use and purpose is to forget the Victorian order of morality in literature and the Platonic idea of artists portraying good character for another regime based on aestheticism that is equally as didactic and portrays merely indifferent character.

Is it the Kantian view of art having "purposeness without purpose"?

Am I completely missing a point here? Any help would be great!

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iP

Reply 1

minnieuk

8

I don't think you're missing the point at all. You're right, it's an extremely contradictory position and one which there has been much debate about. You seem to have a good grasp on how the novel is addressing this (and also failing to). Many people would argue (myself included) that it's impossible for art to be completely useless although there are those who don't agree.

You could look at the John Ruskin/Whistler debate on 'art for art's sake'. The modernists had a great deal to say about aestheticism - Wyndham Lewis / T. S. Eliot in particular. Also more modern critics like Terry Eagleton have written about it. Hope that provides a starting point.

Reply 2

PatrickB

OP

13

Original post by minnieuk

I don't think you're missing the point at all. You're right, it's an extremely contradictory position and one which there has been much debate about. You seem to have a good grasp on how the novel is addressing this (and also failing to). Many people would argue (myself included) that it's impossible for art to be completely useless although there are those who don't agree.

You could look at the John Ruskin/Whistler debate on 'art for art's sake'. The modernists had a great deal to say about aestheticism - Wyndham Lewis / T. S. Eliot in particular. Also more modern critics like Terry Eagleton have written about it. Hope that provides a starting point.

Yes, I'm working my way through Ruskin and Eliot! I literally only picked up the book this week because I forgot about my work, so I thought I may have just missed something...

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iP

Contradiction in The Picture of Dorian Gray

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