Extended Essays 2021

this epiphany, Dorian Gray vows to kill himself before he suffers the visible corruption of

age. In his distress, Gray wishes that the portrait painted by his friend, Basil Hallward, would age in his place, thus providing him eternal youth. His ‘prayer of pride’ 4 manifests, and the

portrait becomes a physical representation of his soul’s decay, evidencing both age and his

sinful existence. In creating this dichotomy of body and soul, Wilde has correlated his work

with theological aesthetics through directly contrasting the Christian ideal of inseparable

internal and external beauty. Furthermore, Wilde has created a conflicting tone of fascination

and disgust from a third person omniscient perspective towards the depraved actions of the

characters, which provides significant representation of the disparity between Dorian Gray’s

body and soul.

Therefore, the research question of ‘ to what extent does religious subtext in The Picture of

Dorian Gray , correlate with theological aesthetics to achieve the author’s purpose of

effecting contrast between body and soul? , was formulated. This question is used to aid in

effectively analysing the implications of religious and spiritual subtext in creating further

meaning for the text through several literary features (e.g. symbolism, point-of-view,

juxtaposition).

The initial discussion provides an explanation of theological aesthetics and its relation to the

representation of Dorian Gray’s body and soul, as well as its correlation with the religious

connotations present. Subsequently, in highlighting this subtext, three religious concepts, The

Hellenistic Ideal, Transubstantiation and the Faustian Bargain, will be examined in relation to

the novel by using literary features. These ideas are established in The Picture of Dorian

Gray , through their relationship with theological aestheticism and therefore, underpin the

dichotomous connection of body and soul in the character of Dorian Gray.

4 P.151, Wilde, O., 2008. The Picture of Dorian Gray. Melbourne: Penguin Group.

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