Dorian Gray in the 21st Century - Literature review Example

Dorian Gray in the 21st Century Wilde’s Dorian Gray: Dorian Gray, as characterised by Oscar Wilde, typifies the ‘Dandy’ figure of nineteenth century society in terms of his sartorial style. His larger attitude towards life and art is seen to be influenced by a revised Hedonism, Aestheticism and the Decadent and Symbolist movements. His morality and psychology are uniformly narcissistic while his sexuality can be considered an extension of this narcissistic personality, resulting in an ambivalent asexuality but with no qualms about appearing promiscuous. One word that seems to describe each of these facets of Dorian Gray’s personality is: indulgence. It is his self-indulgence, aided by Lord Henry’s ‘influence’, that allows him to justify to himself and pardon any and all of his actions. It is his sensual indulgence that draws him towards the Decadent philosophy as typified in the ‘yellow book’ or Joris-Karl Huysmans’s À Rebours. It is this same obsession with sensual indulgence that prompts Dorian to throw his lavish parties, spend on experimental, orgiastic and exotic musical and literary soirees, study topics like the various perfumes that exist, and so on. This indulgence of the senses, taken to an extreme level by Dorian, becomes a substitute for morality. This is not true of Basil Hallward, who despite resembling ‘an aesthete’ in terms of his profession, sexuality and general demeanour, has a keen moral sense. This essential framework of Dorian is what we see for the most part of the book. However, this must be contrasted with his initial self, which although highly narcissistic, was also naive. It must also be noted that Dorian’s narcissism is not merely selfishness. His character is symbolically tied to that of the mythical Greek boy as he uses his ‘reflection’ or the painting to understand himself. For instance, it is on first sight of the painting that Dorian realises the extent of his beauty and its effect on people, after a singularly heinous act – like murdering Basil – Dorian cannot resist checking the transformation of his portrait, and finally, the only time that Dorian attempts to redeem himself by being good to Hetty Merton, he has to ensure whether it is working or not by checking the picture. Keeping in mind these key features of Dorian’s personality and the subtle but immense transformation in his nature, one can begin to try and recreate Dorian Gray in the twenty-first century. 2. Dorian’s Fashions: Dorian, in the twenty-first century, would realistically be in his early to mid-twenties. Any younger than that and he would probably not enjoy the kind of access the original Dorian Gray did to ladies of high society, places of ill repute and financial means of sustenance. Among the four kinds of ‘Dandies’ recognised by the British Council, Dorian is likely to fall somewhere between the categories of ‘The Gentleman’ and ‘The Hoxton Dandy’ (British Council, 2005). ‘The Gentleman’ style is typified by the contemporary famous bespoke tailors like Charlie Allen, Timothy Everest and Richard Anderson. These renowned tailors are from London and usually have their stores along posh areas famous for fashion and bespoke tailors like Savile Row. These ‘Gentlemanly’ tailors specialise in a style of suiting that is restrained and dignified and yet manages to give an expensive and aristocratic air about the wearer. It is not unlikely that the new Dorian Gray would be found lounging about Savile Row, dropping in for custom-made suits of luxurious material and unusual cuts. Dorian would likely opt for more flamboyant styles of suits as some of Oswald Boateng’s creations display. Tailors like Boateng are known for their ‘eccentricity and flare’ (Campbell, n.d.), not to mention their exclusivity: each a byword for Dorian’s wardrobe. Given here is an image of one of Boateng’s creations displayed in his Autumn/Winter 2011 collection. Bright colours, with an unusual cut for the coat paired with flamboyant accessories like the boots would likely make Dorian feel quite at home. The other style that Dorian would perhaps enjoy wearing would be the ‘Hoxton Dandy’. Hoxton Square used to be one of London’s bleakest industrial localities. It has now evolved into a hub of contemporary fashion that uses new media and a gritty fashion sense to create its unique style of clothing. It claims to blend music, art and fashion in its creations and is defined by its bohemian quality (British Council, 2005). Elle (UK) magazine speaks about how Hoxton fashions ‘lead where others follow’ when it comes to street fashion. Given Dorian’s habit of frequenting seedy opium dens, one could transpose his attire to these places into present-day street fashions influenced by the ‘rude boy’ style or the ‘mod’ subculture which has traditionally (and controversially) been linked with recreational drug use. Given below is an image from Ben Sherman’s mod-influenced couture in his ‘Kings Road to Carnaby’ Collection. Apart from his dressing habits, Dorian would also be a connoisseur of the rare and bizarre. A post on Oddee.com lists a few of the world’s most bizarre collections including collections of Pokemon, soap bars and even toasters (Murano, 2009). One could presume that Dorian’s tastes would be perhaps a tad more on the expensive side. Chocolates of brands like Vosges Haut or Richard Donnelly; perfumes of Caron Paris or Ralph Lauren; rare textiles, jewels – these would probably keep Dorian occupied for the most part. While the interests of the original Dorian Gray and the one of the twenty-first century are not likely to be very different, one can presume that ‘brand value’ will have replaced the older elitist fashions that circulated only in high society by word of mouth. Interestingly, in Wilde’s book Paris is listed as the fashion hub of the world with all the young, fashionable American ladies buying their ‘dresses’ there (1891, p.40). This is not very different today as Paris, along with Milan, New York and a few other cities, remains a major centre for fashion designers and haute couture. 3. Dorian’s Morality: Oscar Wilde’s book is motivated primarily by, what Richard Ellmann calls, a ‘New Aesthetic’ ethic. New Aestheticism was a revision and perfection of the older strains of Aesthetic and Hedonistic principles. However, Wilde did not entirely subscribe to this school of thought as proposed by the likes of Gautier. In fact, he enjoyed pretending to do so (1987, p.292), much like Lord Henry is wont to do in Dorian Gray. Frequently it is said of Lord Henry that although he espouses the Aesthetic morality through his words, his actions are not in keeping with the same. For instance, Basil says of him, ‘I believe that you are really a very good husband, but that you are thoroughly ashamed of your own virtues’ (1891, p.8). However, Dorian is a less complex character in terms of his morality. He is drawn as a singularly amoral being, so much so that even when he wants to repent, his motivations spring from vanity: ‘Had it been merely vanity that had made him do his one good deed? Or the desire for a new sensation, as Lord Henry had hinted, with his mocking laugh?’ (1891, p.211). It is also said of Dorian that ‘he would think of the ruin he had brought upon his soul, with a pity that was all the more poignant, because it was purely selfish’ (p.124). Even his religious preferences, remarked on in Chapter XI, are marked by superficial concerns: ‘and certainly the Roman ritual had always a great attraction for him’. Despite his ‘attraction’ to the elaborate rituals of Roman Catholicism, we are told that Dorian is ‘moved for a season’ by anything and that ‘he never fell into the error of arresting his intellectual development by any formal acceptance of creed or system’ (p.128). This non-subscription to a religious credo and sensory indulgence are not unfamiliar in the present day. The rise of Atheism and Agnosticism as well-defined sects, writers like Richard Dawkins who question the very notion of ‘God’, questioning of authority and its destabilization the world over, capitalism and consumerism – all these point to a seemingly logical outcome of the Hedonistic/Aesthetic mode of living with its principles of living in the present, valuing the individual over the social, and so on. On the other hand, issues that earlier went unremarked on, especially those concerning racial, gender and class prejudices, have now been highly theorized and discussed. It is not longer unremarkable if someone comments on ‘the ugly’ and ‘the poor’ as Lord Henry often does. In this setting of apparently ‘looser morals’ and high sensitivity to controversial issues, Dorian Gray’s ‘double life’ would likely be even further intensified. While being irreligious and consumerist would perhaps not set him apart from too many people, being a racist, sexist or a bigot in any other sense would invite a lot of censure. In public then – in today’s scenario this includes public forums like social networking websites – Dorian would have to maintain a façade of political correctness. Someone like Lord Henry could perhaps still pull off his air of bigotry thanks to his sense of humour and inherent core of honesty. But Dorian’s guilty secret would force him into prolonging his double life, even in this century. As far as his ‘reputation’ is concerned, it is not likely that women in our day and age would be exploited in the same manner as in Wilde’s book. Having multiple relations with the opposite sex is an accepted part of our social lives and the same stigma that forced Sibyl Vane to commit suicide does not exist to quite that extent. His ambivalent sexuality too would not seem very unusual today with rising levels of awareness and sensitivity of LGBT rights and such related issues. Dorian’s promiscuity would not be as great a crime as seen in the book. However, present-day society would certainly draw the line at murder, especially such a pathological murder of a harmless artist. 4. Dorian’s Guilty Little Secret: The painting of Dorian Gray would likely be replaced by a photograph in the current time. In fact photographer Karl Lagerfeld has adapted the book into a photographic novel called A Portrait of Dorian Gray which puts Dorian in a modern urban setting (Below: an image from Lagerfeld’s book). Matthew Bourne has also adapted the story into a modern-dance musical titled Dorian Gray with Dorian portrayed as a model obsessed with his own photographs. The shroud used to cover the painting would probably be replaced by something digital. For instance, it could be a password-protected photograph of his. Dorian’s interactions and revelations would also change with technology. Instead of his journal, Dorian would perhaps have a private blog to put his thoughts down. Going by our age of security-obsession, Dorian’s ‘secrets’ are all likely to be digitally encrypted. Whether in the form of e-mails or secret blog-posts, fake social networking profiles (akin to the original Dorian’s obsession with disguises) or password-hidden photographs, it is likely that Dorian Gray will have adapted himself to suit the technological advances made in the intervening centuries. 5. Truly Eternal? Going by the slew of recent adaptations of Wilde’s infamous book and this paper’s study into the modern-day avatar of Dorian Gray, it would appear that his intense desire to stay eternally relevant has indeed come to pass. Dorian Gray’s self-indulgent, narcissistic self preoccupied with things of beauty is a familiar figure even two centuries after he was first created. It would seem that even though fashions may change over time and place, Wilde’s genius in noting human characteristics and failings and creating a portrait of them endure over the years. Works Cited [Ben Sherman Suit and Shirt] n.d. [image online] Available at: < http://www.retrowow.co.uk/ retro_style/mod_fashion.php> [Accessed 28 November 2011]. [BOAT_MW_SS11_0638] n.d. [image online] Available at: < http://www.ozwaldboateng.co.uk/autumn-winter-10/#> [Accessed 28 November 2011]. British Council, 2005. 21st Century Dandy. [online] Available at: [Accessed 28 November 2011]. Campbell, C., n.d. Savile Row Tailors. [online] Available at: [Accessed 28 November 2011]. [Dorian-Gray-1], 2010. [image online] Available at: < http://itsnotyouitsmesite.blogspot.com/2010/01 /portrait-of-dorian-gray-by-karl.html> [Accessed 28 November 2011]. ElleUK, n.d. [online] Available at: [Accessed 28 November 2011]. Ellmann, R., 1987. The Age of Dorian. London: Hamish Hamilton. Murano, G., 2009. 10 Most Bizarre Collections. [online] Available at: [Accessed 28 November 2011]. Wilde, O., 1891. The Picture of Dorian Gray. London: Penguin. Read More