This was the first Oscar Wilde book that I have ever read. Other that knowing that he wrote "The Importance of Being Earnest", I knew nothing about him. After reading this novel, I still don't think I know much about him, which is usually the mark of a great writer. During the beginning, I was pretty sure that I had him pegged as being a perfectly rounded example of the arrogant optimism and faith in humanity that was the hallmark of the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. (This being the time when the common knowledge was that we had discovered all there was to know in many areas of science and that men were not capable of making any more big wars). But it turned out he was just really good at channeling all those thoughts into his English noble characters. He really did a good job presenting the asinine nature of the culture. His British nobles are equivocated champions of doing nothing and spewing sharp witty repertoire while at it. A short book in itself could be made of Lord Henry's epigrams. Again, I haven't read any analysis, but I think Lord Henry was the "devil" or some type of symbol for all the hedonistic desires of the time. Basil, was of course representative of the timeless presence of morality and good, of some sort. In the end, Dorian's unintentional suicide became an acknowledgment of the inevitability of the soul. In a way, this stood as the ultimate rebuke to all of Henry's philosophies of self adulation. After all, there were consequences for the evil life that Dorian had led. But, I also feel that that secretly, Lord Henry knew everything about Dorian's life and every word spoken to him was some type of nudge on to total destruction. Maybe the end was what Henry had planned all along, being that the second that Dorian wanted to destroy the symbol of his sin and corruption, he himself would be destroyed?
I do like this quote from Wilde in the preface:
"All art is at once surface and symbol. Those who go beneath the surface do so at their own peril. Those who read the symbol do so at their own peril. It is the spectator, and not life, that art really mirrors. Diversity of opinion about a work of art shows that the work is new, complex, and vital. When critics disagree, the artist in in accord with himself. We can forgive a man for making a useful thing as long as he does not admire it. The only excuse for making a useless thing is that one admires it intensely.
All art is quite useless."
Anyway, I look forward to reading some more Wilde some day. I will probably read "Earnest" next, because it is probably his most famous work. I am about to jump ahead in literary history a bit. My next read is going to be "The Wilding" by Benjamin Percy. It was actually published just last fall. I heard it referenced on a NPR book review about three great outdoor novels. It was put in the company of Jack London, so needless to say I have high expectations.
