Discussion 5: Plot

 In the Picture of Dorian Gray the plot is driven by Dorian's realization that his portrait is harmed when he sins,  and not he himself. Dorian was led to this insight after he forges a friendship with Lord Henry. With Lord Henry's influence and his portrait's power Dorian changed, and became evil and cruel.  However before this realization Dorian was a virtuous and kind hearted man. For instance, before Dorian brutally stabbed Basil to death, he said, "Each of us has heaven and hell in him..." which was completely out of character for the former Dorian who loved strolling in the garden (Wilde 169).

Discussion 2: Setting

The Picture of Dorian Gray is set in 19th Century England. The first major setting is Basil's home where the painting of Dorian was created. The home is "...filled with the rich odour of roses..." and seems to be naturally lit (Wilde 19). The door is left open to bring in fresh air as well. Overall, the total opposite of a typical gothic novel. However, Lord Henry's distasteful words and everyone's shifting moods make for a darker atmosphere.

Discussion 4: Supernatural

The supernatural occurrences in the book begins when Dorian observes the changes on his portrait and realizes that his wish has come true. The wish that that his portrait grows old, while he remains young; and that his portrait bears his sins and passions while he remains unburdened. As the story progresses Dorian's personality becomes more evil and his sins continue to increase. With each sin he commits Dorian's portrait becomes more hideous and aged while he continues to remain unblemished.

Discussion 6: Mystery and Suspense

The mystery and suspense that is brought up at the beginning of the book is based mainly around Dorian Gray's characteristics. The way that Dorian is described in the first few chapters by Basil Hallward creates much suspense. Basil shows much love for Dorian while also showing some fear and treats Dorian as his most prized possession which brings up the question... What makes Dorian Gray so special? This causes much mystery towards the character of Dorian Gray and is shown when Basil states, "I turned half-way round and saw Dorian Gray for the first time. When our eyes met, I felt that I was growing pale. A curious sensation of terror came over me." (Wilde 18). This quote shows that Dorian possesses unexplainable power just by his looks which creates a lot of mystery of his character when Basil speaks of him to Lord Henry. Although Dorian creates a lot of mystery himself, his portrait is the main object that creates mystery and suspense throughout the novel. Even before the portrait goes through the supernatural changes and becomes altered due to Dorian's sins, it creates many suspenseful scenes such as the argument Basil, Dorian, and Lord Henry get into right after the painting is complete. The portrait then continues to cause much mystery as its appearance changes to an evil and old representation of Dorian as he commits his wrongdoings since the reader never knows what the cause of the portrait's changes is.  The mystery of the portrait's transformation causes many suspenseful parts of the book such as the suicidal death of Sibyl Vane, the murder of Basil Hallward, and the many other lives that are affected by Dorian since he knows the portrait will be affected instead of himself. An example of the suspense that is created by this mystery can be shown during the scene before Basil's death when the book describes the scene by saying, "A cold current of air passed them, and the light shot up for a moment in a flame of murky orange... Hallward glanced round him with a puzzled expression." (Wilde 167). This quote shows how suspenseful Dorian, his portrait, and the setting can make the scenes. Scenes like this create a very tenseful tone since Dorian can pretty much do whatever he wants because his portrait will just carry the burden which causes the reader to be tenseful about the end result and whether or not Dorian will ever pay for his crimes. This tenseful or suspenseful tone remains throughout the entire novel including the ending where Dorian tries to destroy the portrait and ends up killing himself and restoring the portrait to its original self. This is shown at the end of the book when it states, "“...they found hanging upon the wall a splendid portrait of their master...in all the wonder of his exquisite youth and beauty. Lying on the floor was a dead man… with a knife in his heart. He was withered, wrinkled, and loathsome of visage. It was not til they had examined the rings that they recognized who it was.” (Wilde 235). This also conveys that the mystery of the portrait remains a mystery and is never logically explained although it does cause much pain.

Structure

Back in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Gothic Novels were popular in Europe. Gothic novels have unique characters that make them different. Some of these characteristics include: Horror, supernatural, suspense, and structure. In The Picture of Dorian Grey, the structure of the book has similar characteristics to other Gothic novels. The way the book is structured is the description. How the book describes everything for example, “The studio was filled with the rich odour of roses, and when the light summer wind stirred amidst the trees of the garden” (Wilde 19). The depth of detail the description is found in Gothic literature. Another way the book is structured is the point of view. The point of view in The Picture of Dorian Grey is in third person, same in Frankenstein. The point of view in these books creates a setting that makes it feel different from other types of literature when combined with other elements. In order for a Gothic novel to be a Gothic novel it must have certain elements combined to create the correct atmosphere for the book.

Characters

The Character introduction begins with Basil Hallward, the artist who created the portrait of Dorian Gray. Basil is a jealous and very self-absorbed person who is in love with his own art.

Harry Wotton is next, a friend of Basil who can be described as calm and full of peace and tranquility also he is described as a philosopher.

Dorian Gray, (The rich boy with all the money and looks to beat out any guy who came his way) can be described as a spoiled boy who never had to work for anything and had everything handed to him. He changes as the book goes on into the more villainous character.