A Picture of Dorian Gray
Basil's Changes As Related To Wilde's Opinion On Art
Oscar Wilde, author of The Picture of Dorian Gray, makes Basil's life
change
drastically by having him paint a portrait of Dorian Gray and express
too much of himself
in it, which, in Wilde's mind, is a troublesome obstacle to circumvent.
Wilde believes
that the artist should not portray any of himself in his work, so when
Basil does this, it is
he who creates his own downfall, not Dorian.
Wilde introduces Basil to Dorian when Basil begins to notice Dorian
staring at
him at a party. Basil "suddenly became conscious that someone was
looking at [him].
[He] turned halfway around and saw Dorian Gray for the first time"
(Wilde 24). Basil
immediately notices him, however Basil is afraid to talk to him. His
reason for this is
that he does "not want any external influence in [his] life" (Wilde
24). This is almost a
paradox in that it is eventually his own internal......
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