“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” This is the cornerstone Biblical verse upon which the story of Dorian Gray is built. And what Dorian gives in exchange for his soul is everlasting beauty. Beauty that is wholly superficial, however, because one need only scratch the surface to see beneath that attractive mask that what really lies within is a most unpleasant, nay, ugly visage.
Dorian’s friend, Lord Henry Wotton tells him once that “It is better to be beautiful than to be good. But it is better to be good than to be ugly,” and Dorian takes these words to heart and chooses to be an embodiment of that very philosophy. What that means is that he engages in the most hedonistic of lifestyles and adopts a world-view that puts every sensual pleasure to the fore. He values the fine arts and all things in which beauty is palpable, all the while disregarding the state of his own soul. Even love is an unnecessary impediment in the ultimate pursuit of all things beautiful. But twenty years of this lifestyle is how long Dorian can go before he realizes that he has indeed lost his soul.
This is Oscar Wilde’s one and only published work, and sets the bar for what is called the gothic horror genre. A brilliant work that showcases the finest example of excellent writing, this is a story that pulls you in with a centrifugal force. Lord Henry is the other protagonist through whom we receive an opinion on everything from the instituion of marriage to the weather, and who is the chief influence on Dorian. Wilde’s commentary on the social norms of 19th century England that promote a lifestyle of pursuing art for the sake of art and elevating the ego to so high and lofty a place that it is bound to be the cause of one’s downfall is the ulterior point of this amazing novel.
And that is a theme that is indeed a timeless one.
