Sexuality In The Picture Of Dorian Gray

Oscar Wilde, born in 1854, was an Irish author in the middle of the Victorian period. Wilde’s contributions to the literary movement were in the form of plays, prose writing, and essays. The playwright is most known for The Importance of Being Earnest and his single, standalone novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. Oscar Wilde grew up in a Dublin, Ireland, with his two siblings and parents. At a very young age, Wilde authored poems and formulated entertaining plays; these were the early stages of what would later become a part of an older Wilde’s legacy and brilliance. The Victorian author was recognized for his resplendently written plays; however, during the 46 years of Wilde’s life, he wrote only one novel, a novel that would inspire the spectrum

Although sexuality appeared despondent in Victorian nature, love persisted in many colorful, flamboyant forms: homosexuality began to stand out and become the highlight of Victorian scandal and disparagement. As stated by Ari Adut “The Victorians held homosexuality in horror, and Britain, stood out at the turn of the 20th century as the only country in Western Europe that criminalized all male homosexual acts with draconian penalties.” (214). This demonization of male homosexuality was an applicatory concern for Oscar Wilde as he was a homosexual man who took on lovers of the male gender. Moreover, for Dorian Gray, Lord Henry Wotton, the morose socialite, swoops Gray under his sullen wings and instills a false interest of guidance (Wilde 17 – 19). However, this can be interpreted as Wotton’s thirst to partake in illicit, homosexual acts and to provoke the suspected sexual transparency that encapsulates Dorian’s intrigue. Wilde himself had a specific pattern when choosing his beaus: “Wilde's real taste for sex turned out to be not with men of his own class...but with the rough, male prostitutes...he was kind and generous to them. He seemed totally oblivious to the notion that by so going against the conventions of his tribe...he was doomed” (Oscar Wilde: A Concise Biography). Dorian Gray’s personality is introduced with softness, an untainted adolescence, that later becomes haggard and edgy. The smoothness of Gray’s character reflects upon an inexperienced youth. Later in the story, after several years transpire, Dorian has earned experience and emulates the narcissistic traits of Lord Wotton. The connection that