W7L2 Picture of Dorian Gray

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 6

Good morning V6! 

English class

Mevrouw Plazier/Ms. Plazier 

What do I expect of you?

• Try to speak as much English as possible. 
• Be mindful, respectful & communicate!
• Be on time: more than 5 minutes = too late. 
• Raise your hand if you have a question and be silent during explanations of me/student. 
• Participate!!
• Bags are on the ground, phones in your bags. 
• No eating in the classroom (gum included), drinking water is allowed. 

learning goals

I know the basic plot of The Picture of Dorian Gray. 

What are some elements of the Victorian age?

Victorian Era: Characteristics

• daily life
  
• moral purpose
• idealism/ideal life
• pessimism
• visually descriptive
• dramatic monologue
• takes inspiration from renaissance

Literature: how to study?

• Make sure to read summaries of the books.  Practice with quizzes on Sparknotes.
  
• Make sure to study all the elements of the Victorian Age and Romantic Period (know the difference between them)
• You need to know the poems by Wordsworth, Coleridge and Blake and the LessonUp slides. 

Literature: how to study?

• Practice/study the slides I have shared with you
• You also need to know how to apply the seven elements of fiction to the novels. 
• On the test you get a mix of open and multiple choice questions (R, T1, T2 and I)
• We want you to write in English! 

Example question 1

R/1pt 4. How are Mr. Collins and Jane Bennet related?

AThey are brother and sister

BThey are uncle and niece

CThey are cousins

DThey are not related

Example question 2 

T1/3pt 12. How would you describe the creature’s personality? Use 2 examples from the book to substantiate your answer. 

Example question 3

T2/2pt 2. Explain why the poem “Excerpt 1 The Chimney Sweeper” in your “tekstboekje” is a Romantic poem. Use 2 examples from the poem and relate these to the Romantic elements you have studied. 

What can you expect?

Periode 1: mondeling (boek) + examenvaardigheden

Periode 2: kijk- en luistervaardigheid + literatuur + leesvaardigheid

Periode 3: leesvaardigheid

Periode 4: examen leesvaardigheid

Types of jobs for poor women

servants

nannies

governesses

prostitutes

Position of women in Victorian Times

*Poor women had to work

*Bad living conditions

* no rights to vote, husband was the boss

Difference between the classes:

*Rich women were supposed to be "the Angel of the House"

*Well-furnished houses & enough food, servants

* no rights to vote, husband decided on everything

Women's rights

Emancipation: women's rights

in GB called Sufragettes: rights & votes for women 

1918 :allowed to vote if 30 years old

1928: vote at 21 years old

Rights to vote for women & lower classes

Why was the novel successful? 

1. intended for middle class

2. flexible

3. escapism (industrial revolution Vs. refuge in nature)

4. realistic

5. solutions to complex issues

Characteristics of Victorian Novel: 

1. Standard middle-class (bourgeoisie) habits and standards of behaviour.

2. The most popular topic is the adaptation of the individual to society. (Was this similar to the Romantic era?)

3. Emphasis on the way that characters develop. 

(lower class described in a boring manner, aristocracy portrayed in a jealous/arrogant manner). 

Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde

• Born in Ireland
• Playwright, poet and writer 
• Novel: The Picture of Dorian Gray
• married, two children
• Imprisonment (2 years) on charges of homosexuality
•  Known for his biting wit, flamboyant dress and glittering conversational skill

1854-1900

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Summary

character overview

How it all starts......

The story begins in the art studio of Basil Hallward who has painted a portrait of a beautiful young man (Dorian Gray).

 Lord Henry Wotton, a friend of Basil,  believes that the portrait should be displayed, but Basil disagrees because he is afraid that this could show an obsession with Dorian Gray. 

the inciting moment

Dorian then arrives and is fascinated by the portrait. Basil decides to give the portrait to Dorian.  Henry explains that one should give into impulses in life and that beauty and youth are fleeting. Dorian then declares that he would give his soul if the portrait were to grow old and he would remain young and beautiful. 

rising action: the heartbreak

Henry makes it his goal to try "to mold" Dorian's personality.  Dorian tells Henry that he has fallen in love with an actress called Sibyl Vane. He attends a performance of Sibyl together with Henry and Basil. Sybil declares her love for Dorian, she cannot pretend to be in love on stage anymore now that she knows what real love is. Dorian is repulsed by this. 

rising action: a changing portrait

When Dorian arrives home, a cruel expression has appeared on the portrait's face. He decides to ask forgiveness of Sybil, but the next day Henry tells him that she has committed suicide and that Dorian should not feel bad about it. 

climax: to repent or not to repent?  

Dorian moves the portrait to the attic and receives a book from Henry which influences him to become more and more extravagant and evil while the portrait continues to age. 

Basil confronts Dorian on his excesses and destroying lives.

Dorian shows Basil the horrifying portrait. Basil tells Dorian that if this is a reflection of his soul that he should repent. Dorian kills Basil in a rage. 

Falling action

Dorian and James Vane (Sybil's brother) meet in an opium den where James wants to kill Dorian, but he changes his mind since Dorian appears to be very young. Later on, James is accidentally killed during a hunting party. 

The resolution

Dorian tells Henry that he has become virtuous and that he has decided to not take advantage of another young girl who fell in love with him. Dorian then wants to see whether the portrait has changed due to his honourable act. The man in the portrait now has a sly look in his eyes. Dorian decides to attack the portrait with a knife. The servants hear a scream and find a dead old man on the floor with a knife in his chest and the portrait is a beautiful young man. 

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Themes & 

Background

Themes explained

• Aesthetic Movement:  while Victorians believed art had to have a clear objective: educate masses, distinguish good from bad, be beautiful. This movement believes the aim of art was to have no aims = Art for Art's sake.

• Hedonism: the theory that pleasure (the satisfaction of desires) is the highest good and aim of human life. 

Themes explained

• Theme of Faust: sell soul to devil in return for beauty, wisdom and pleasure. In the end nothing is gained. 
• immortal beauty of youth opposed to becoming older, uglier and meaner
• appearances are deceptive

Background:

• commotion after publication: homosexuality and mistresses. The novel was used as evidence in a lawsuit in 1895 against Wilde, tried and convicted on charges of homosexuality.    

• Wilde's response: “There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. " "Book are well written, or badly written."

• The novel could be read as a profoundly moral book, even a cautionary tale against the dangers of immorality. (authorial intent vs. reader interpretation)

Discussion questions

1. Relate at least 2 Victorian elements to the novel. Make sure to explain your answer by using an example from the novel. 

2. Which conflict would you say is present in the book? (man Vs. man, man Vs. society, man Vs. nature) Explain your answer.

3. How can The Picture of Dorian Gray be considered an example of the Aesthetic movement? Explain your answer. 

4. Find a quote by Oscar Wilde that you like and explain it.