Wow! I think that we can add Oscar Wilde to the “He-Man Woman Haters Club” (The Little Rascals reference). I am not going to lie I was a little offended by some of the ways in which he both spoke about and portrayed women in the novel. I am not a feminist or anything, but man am I glad to not have been his wife. Talk about a low self-esteem. If you did not know that Oscar Wilde was gay before reading the story then you probably figured it out by the end. Not only was it blatantly obvious in the way that the men in the novel had an almost homoerotic relationship throughout the novel, but also in the way in which Wilde portrayed women. In the novel Oscar Wilde projects his misogynistic views through the character of Lord Henry Wotton. Having prior knowledge of Oscar Wilde’s homosexuality, I was quite shocked to discover that he was married. It is easy to presume that Wilde’s views of women were influenced by his loveless marriage, greatly marred by his homosexuality. Wilde expresses his views of marriage in the statement made by Lord Henry, which said, "married life is merely a habit, a bad habit." (178)
One of the main themes in the story was centered on aestheticism and the belief that art exists for the sake of beauty alone. This theme was introduced into the story through the character of Lord Henry, who upon meeting Dorian Gray used his influence to pollute Dorian’s mind with such beliefs. Dorian’s aesthetic views, adopted from Lord Henry, are first apparent in his relationship with Sibyl Vane. A beautifully gifted actress in a rundown theatre, Sibyl Vane was not the source of Dorian Gray’s love as much as her art and acting were. Dorian mesmerized by her brilliant performances mistakes his love for the actresses work for his love for Sibyl herself. This point was very much apparent when after Dorian finished praising Sibyl’s work and all her different roles, Lord Henry asked Dorian, "When is she Sibyl Vane?" and Dorian replied "Never." (48) This line makes it very clear that it was the roles that she played that Dorian was in love with and not Sibyl herself. If that was not clear enough, when Dorian and his friends go to watch Sibyl’s play after Dorian proposes to her, her dreadful performance leads to Dorian calling off the engagement and wishing never to see her again, stating “Without your art you are nothing.” (75)
The character of Sibyl Vane was a very…well dull one in the novel, but she also happens to play the main female role in the story. Even though she knew nothing about Dorian, not even his name calling him Prince Charming, she claimed to be completely in love with him. This love led her to act horribly in her final play because, as she told Dorian, she preferred real life to art and that her art, her passion, has lost all meaning to her because nothing compared to real love. This going against everything that Dorian believed in, he rejected Sibyl leading her to commit suicide. Sibyl’s ability to throw away her art and her life for a man that she knew nothing about seemed a little overdramatic and ridiculous to me, but then again the author was not exactly trying to portray women in a good light.
Sibyl Vane, while very one-dimensional, played a very important role in the story. Her relationship with Dorian and her ultimate suicide was a key factor in Dorian’s first turn to a life of crime and cruelty. Her death triggers the first change in Dorian’s portrait, revealing to him the consequences of his earlier pledge to give his soul in exchange for eternal youth. Sibyl Vane was Dorian’s last chance for salvation before Lord Henry’s influence completely took him over and led him to a life of sin. “When I am with her, I regret all that you have taught me. I become different from what you have known me to be. I am changed, and the mere touch of Sibyl Vane’s hand makes me forget you and all your wrong, fascinating, poisonous, delightful theories.” (67) While this statement by Dorian was true, it was also quite paradoxical it that his infatuation with Sibyl was based off of what Lord Henry had taught him about aestheticism and his philosophy to place beauty and self-pleasure above consideration for others.
(I didn’t get into the later events of the novel because I didn’t want to spoil the ending for those of you who hadn’t finished the book yet.) ☺
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Hi Fay,
ReplyDeleteAlthough I love Oscar Wilde, the treatment of women in The Picture of Dorian Gray has always troubled me. However, rereading it for the millionth time this past week, I made an attempt to suspend my feminist disdain (I AM a feminist!) and tried to read against the grain a bit. I wonder if perhaps Oscar Wilde is making some statement about the roles women have to play in Victorian Society? Like Sybil Vane, who is "never" herself, it seems that all the women in the novel are forced to put on some sort of affectation. On page 42, Wilde states that women are the "decorative sex," implying that they exist just for show. He also says, though, on page 43, that "there are only five women in London worth talking to, and two of these can't be admitted into decent society." This statement suggests to me that maybe Wilde is saying something about the restraints put upon women in London society to perform certain roles. Furthermore, I also wonder if Sybil Vane's "fall" is due to Dorian placing her on a pedastal and constructing some false romantic ideal around her. Rather than seeing her as a real human being, he can only "see" her as whatever Shakespearean heroine she happens to be playing that evening. Perhaps it's a stretch, but I wonder if maybe Wilde is actually more sympathetic to the plight of women in late Victorian society than the quips made by Lord Henry and Co. might imply. What do you think?
Fay,
ReplyDeleteNow you know I love reading your blogs, however this week I can't say that I agree with you. Although there is definitely a chauvinistic approach to a number of the characters (namely Lord Henry, who I think is actually named for Wilde's brother, and the later aspects of Dorian himself) I don't believe that Wilde actually felt that way. I have to agree with our illustrious teacher here and say that I think Wilde was using these actions and statements as a commentary about the role of a woman in Victorian society, where everyone pretends to be something else for the sake of the sensibilities of society. I think that Wilde really used Lord Henry as a way to say some of the more despicable beliefs of society out right, even though they're never really stated that way in public.
You made the statement " The character of Sibyl Vane was a very…well dull one in the novel," and you also criticized her feelings for Dorian without even knowing who he was. I think that Sybil was a lot deeper of a character, mildly troubled and hiding in her roles, using them to find a level of acceptance. The reason she was so willing to reject them in the end was because she was so certain of her feelings for Dorian and believed that he felt the same. However Dorian was already tainted with the idea that the roles she played were the reasons to love her and thus couldn't understand how she could walk away from it. We also are looking at their relationship as it was modern. A timely courtship worked drastically different in the Victorian era... but this isn't a history or a sociology lesson and I think I may just be rambling.
WS
Hi Fay,
ReplyDeleteReally interesting post this week, I love the title, made me laugh. I also found it blatantly obvious that there were homoerotic relationships in the novel, however, unlike you, I was not aware that Oscar had relationships with men in real life, prior to reading the novel (after reading the novel I did my research on Oscar Wilde) In your post you mentioned Lord Henry’s views of marriage, when he said, “married life is merely a habit, a bad habit” (178). I remember while I was reading that I found the following passage very peculiar.
“Your wife stopped by while I was here,” Dorian told him. Lord Henry and his wife, a rather flighty, over-dressed woman, led very separate lives. Lord Henry’s contempt for marriage was well known” (40),
I should have picked up right then and there that Lord Henry’s lack of interest in his wife reflects the homoerotic relationships in the novel.
I also liked when you said,
"When is she Sibyl Vane?" and Dorian replied "Never." (48) This line makes it very clear that it was the roles that she played that Dorian was in love with and not Sibyl herself.”
I completely agree. He was never in love with Sybil Vane. He was in love of the idea of her. Because to Dorian, she was art and beautiful, but once she showed an ounce of mortality he was immediately repulsed by her.
I enjoyed the post and first wanted to comment on your disbelief that he had a wife, then your statement, "It is easy to presume that Wilde’s views of women were influenced by his loveless marriage, greatly marred by his homosexuality." I think this is a pretty valid observation. I try to imagine myself in that situation- in that time period and it must have been so difficult and frustrating for him! I imagine had his society been more open and accepting, his views on women might have been much different.
ReplyDeleteBecause Wilde was essentially forced into marriage, as that was the "acceptable" thing to do by society's standards, I would guess that he began to resent the female sex. Also, aside from his preference for male company, women in this time were not able to rise to their full potential (at least not if they wanted to remain in good standing and favor with society)and were very restrained as well due to social obligation, so he wasn't able to see the women for their true value, but rather what was placed on them. Overall to summarize what I'm trying to express, I think that his views were very much a product of the times and his personal struggles with oppression.