The picture of dorian gray gay subtext
The Tartan
By Allison Blair
If you consideration we had finally gotten over Hollywood straight-washing adaptations, I apprehension you are gravely mistaken.
Netflix is currently developing a new exhibit based on Oscar Wilde’s novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray.” Let’s just say, the exhibit is taking some major innovative liberties.
“The Picture of Dorian Gray” follows the story of Dorian Gray and his obsession with himself that could rival Narcissus. Dorian sells his soul to maintain his youth and beauty. He becomes the subject of a portrait for his painter friend Basil Hallward. This portrait grows old, while Dorian remains eternally youthful until he becomes consumed by his sins and misdeeds.
Dorian is not just a friend to Basil. Basil has a completely homoerotic infatuation with Dorian. Dorian and Basil having some sort of queer connection is not just subtext, it is literally just the chat. Basil goes on about how he adores Dorian, going as far to describe his feelings as idolatry.
When I first heard that the novel was getting adapted, I was thrilled. “Finally, th
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Maja Petek | October 8,
What comes to mind when hearing about Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray ()? It is probably not the flowery language or witty social commentary, but the homoeroticism show throughout the novel, especially in the portrayal of the friendship between male characters. The implicit homoeroticism of the novel was greatly augmented in the latest reincarnation of the story, the movieDorian Gray(). Directed by Oliver Parker and starring Colin Firth as Lord Henry and Ben Barnes as Dorian, the movie failed to attract a lasting audience, despite adapting Wilde’s subtlety to the modern audience’s demands for sensation. Despite the unfiltered portrayal of sexual exploits, the feeling connection between the characters, especially between the painter Basil Hallward (Ben Chaplin) and Dorian Gray, which builds the backbone of the story, is never addressed.
The most explicit scene in the novel is Basil’s confessional monologue in a private salon, where he professes his devotion to Dorian. The confession is
The Picture of Dorian Gray Sexuality and Sexual Identity Quotes
More on The Picture of Dorian Gray
How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (aph)
"You come across to forget that I am married, and the one charm of marriage is that it makes a animation of deception absolutely necessary for both parties. I never know where my wife is, and my wife never knows what I am doing. When we meet -- we do get together occasionally, when we dine out together, or go down to the Duke's -- we reveal each other the most absurd stories with the most serious faces. My wife is very good at it -- much improved, in fact, than I am. She never gets perplexed over her dates, and I always do. But when she does identify me out, she makes no row at all. I sometimes wish she would; but she merely laughs at me." ()
We're not entirely sure to make of this comment from Lord Henry &#; we find out as the novel goes on that his relationship with his wife is certainly not one of mutual attraction. What is Lord Henry attracted to, then?
"I believe that if one man were to live out his life fully and completely,
Published in:November-December issue.
THE AUTHOR of this piece passed away in , having contributed many articles to this publication over the years, including this feature-length review of a book with the somewhat salacious title, The Secret Life of Oscar Wilde (), by Neil McKenna. While Hattersley doesn’t directly address the question of The Picture of Dorian Gray’s primacy as a gay novel, he does venture that it was, “while guarded, implicitly homosexual”—at least for cognoscenti who knew what to look for.
This obfuscation is what makes Dorian Gray’s place in the gay canon so open to debate. The novel’s very coyness on the matter of lgbtq+ desire, its not daring to name “the love,” is what prevents it from being a shoo-in as the first male lover novel in English. Wilde is not to impute , of course (and notwithstanding that a few of the most suggestive sentences were excised by his publisher): late Victorian population simply did not let for a more explicit exploration of the like whose name could not be spoken, much less elevated to a pivotal role in a novel. Thu