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Basil and Lord Henry in Dorian Gray

            
             Chapter 1 tells us everything we need to know about Basil, Lord Henry and even Dorian Gray. " To what extent do you agree with this statement?.
             Response .
             The extract starts with "artist should create beautiful things, but should no put nothing of his own life into them" by Basil." The quote gives strong feelings and passion of what a true artists principles are. We get the idea that Basil strictly feels that the beauty of art is what we see in the surface, and not the depths that people take, such as thinking it as a "form of autobiography ". However later Basil revels "I had put too much of myself into it " and he was scared people would find out about his feelings and things would become hectic as homosexuality wasn't accepted. So he came to the conclusion that "the world shall never see my portrait of Dorian Gray". This completely contradicts what he states in the beginning about art should have nothing to do with the artist's life. It shows how Basil was so influenced by Dorian that his strict artistic principles had changed and was overpowered by the passion he felt by Dorian. .
             Furthermore the fact that Basil was scared that people would find out about his feelings about Dorian through a painting shows him to be paranoid and concerned about his feelings regarding Dorian. To think that merely a portrait can clarify the feelings Basil felt is rather absurd, it's as if Basil feels that art has the voice to revel his longing to the audience. The preface states "to revel art and to conceal the artist is arts aim and this links to Basil situation as it seems that Basil feels he wasn't able to conceal himself, the artist in his art. However later in the book Basil contradicts what he believed about his art before as he says "art conceals the artist far more completely than it ever reveals him". Basil's opinion towards his art completely changes, as Basil starts to truly accept the feelings he has towards Dorian, and he realizes that those feelings surpass the ability to be shown by just a painting, and he appreciates his art as just art.


Essays Related to Basil and Lord Henry in Dorian Gray

1. picture of dorian gray

In the novel, the well meaning artist Basil Hallward presets young Dorian Gray with a portrait of himself. ... Although Lord Henry states that, "all influence is immoral" (Wilde 18), he nonetheless drastically changes Dorian Gray. ... If Lord Henry's aesthetic ideas have validity ,Dorian Gray's portrait should not become ugly, but rather more beautiful. ... Because Lord Henry is responsible for influencing Dorian Gray, he is partly the cause of the death of Dorian (5810). ... "Basil Hallward is what I think I am: Lord Henry what the world thinks of me: Dorian Gray what I would lik...

  • Word Count: 1332
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2. Basil Halward - The Picture of Dorian Gray

" Dorian takes advantage of Basil's naivety as Lord Henry has turned Dorian from a sweet and innocent boy into a dangerous and manipulative man, Basil tries to save Dorian from Henry's corruption but it is too late as Dorian has traded his soul for eternal youth. ... Dorian has a stronger hold on Dorian than Basil as Lord Henry offers Dorian excitement and the pursuit of pleasure whereas as Basil is trying to abide by society's ideals and act in a moral way. ... This shows that Lord Henry has been successful in corrupting Dorian's mind and Basil is surprised by Doria...

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3. Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray

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  • Word Count: 642
  • Approx Pages: 3
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4. The picture of Dorian Gray

The Picture of Dorian Gray is an excellent novel about vanity and influenced lifestyle. Dorian gray is a very inflencial perdson and when Lord Henry tellds him how precious his young life is dorian vbegins to worry. ... His becomes evil with the help of lord henry. ... Lord Henry only waters Dorians seed of evil, but it is already in him to begin with. ... So read the Picture of Dorian gray and find out where the evil lies in you....

  • Word Count: 344
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5. Picture of Dorian Gray

In The Picture of Dorian Gray, society, manifested in Lord Henry Wotton, seeks opportunity to transform a common man, Dorian Gray, to that of "superior social stature," through its powerful influence. Gray, once praised for his charm, succumbs to society through the embodiment of British culture, Lord Henry Wotton. ... However, once Lord Henry spots him, he corrupts Gray's innocent psyche. ... Consequently, instead of appreciating the portrait that Basil Hallward paints for him, Dorian, under Lord Henry's influence, rejects it due to his notion that "the picture will remain alway...

  • Word Count: 565
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6. Narcissism in Dorian Gray and Frankenstein

Dorian and Lord Henry meet as Basil Hallward, a subtle artist, is painting a portrait of the ever-beautiful Dorian Gray. Harry (Lord Henry) is an excessively opinionated man who is an enthusiastic supporter of Hedonism. ... Parallels can also be drawn between Lord Henry and Victor Frankenstein. ... Lord Henry also saw Dorian as his own creation, seeing how he was responsible for the theory (Hedonism) that changed Dorian's life forever. ... But Lord Henry's creation, Dorian Gray, was the epitome of a narcissist. ...

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7. The Picture of Dorian Gray

The Picture of Dorian Gray Summary of novel: Dorian Gray, the beautiful, talented, charming young man, has managed to capture the hearts of both men and women alike during nineteenth-century England. His incredible purity has attracted Lord Henry Wotton, who vies for his attention with Basil Hallward, a trusting and gentle artist. Basil, having poured his soul into a wonderful portrait of Dorian, resents the recent closeness between Lord Henry and the boy. ... Dorian stabs Basil in the back of the head, and has his body burned. ... Dorian Gray, the main character in the novel, has a ...

  • Word Count: 784
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8. Picture of Dorian Gray Comparison

The Picture of Dorian Gray is as well known for its theater production as it is for its book. ... Lord Henry is very good talking about this subject and does so in both works of art. Dorian and Basil both act the same in the book and the play. ... Basil and Lord Henry are very found of Dorian in both works and you can tell that they have the same influence on him. ... It is painted by Basil and is a gift to Dorian. ...

  • Word Count: 554
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9. The Picture of Dorian Gray and the Seduction of the Reader

"I have never searched for happiness," says Lord Henry Wotton. ... In the beginning of the novel, when Lord Henry first meets Dorian, he states: "...to influence a person is to give him one's own soul. ... One day Dorian, easily suggestible because of his youth, is introduced to Basil's cynical friend Lord Henry Wotton. ... It is usually the dialogues, often between Lord Henry and Dorian, that carry the story forward. ... I want to BE Lord Henry. ...

  • Word Count: 1464
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