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.
4
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