Was dorian grey gay

Much of the material that Stoddart cut makes the homoerotic nature of Basil Hallward’s feelings for Dorian Gray more vivid and explicit than either of the two subsequent published versions, or else it accentuates elements of homosexuality in Dorian.

He is absolutely necessary to me. But it was quickly clear that Stoddart had not gone far enough.

Does The Picture of : Introduction Oscar Wilde’s e Picture of Dorian Gray can be read as a cautionary tale against decadence and depravity

Of course sometimes it is only for a few minutes. I’m reading The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. I thought you would never care for anything but your painting,—your art, I should say. Of course, even as Wilde wrote these words, he knew that the critics did not agree with his assessment.

It is quite true I have worshipped you with far more romance of feeling than a man should ever give to a friend. That is all. Tell me more about Dorian Gray. So far, I have read the first few pages, and I noticed Basil saying things like “I meet him [Dorian Gray], I cannot be happy without meeting h.

The Picture of Dorian : But in a queer reading, Dorian Gray’s relationships with male characters can be understood in terms of same sex attraction, oering a cautionary tale that exemplies the consequences of outing oneself as a homosexual individual in a traditional society

The reason for the above edit is pretty clear: this exchange takes place quite early on in the book, in the middle of the first chapter, and in its original form it suggests that Basil has very strong personal and more romantic feelings for Dorian.

Editorial practices were rather different than they are today, and Wilde had no idea about any of the changes until he read his own, less-explicit, piece in the magazine. I thought you would never care for anything but your art. But a few minutes with somebody one worships mean a great deal.

The book was roundly criticized and badly reviewed by the British press, who were not only disgusted but offended. The edited version makes it all about the art and not at all about love. It is a tale spawned from the leprous literature of the French decadents—a poisonous book, the atmosphere of which is heavy with the mephitic odours of moral and spiritual putrefaction—a gloating study of the mental and physical corruption of a fresh, fair and golden youth, which might be fascinating but for its effeminate frivolity, its studied insincerity, its theatrical cynicism, its tawdry mysticism, its flippant philosophizings.

In an atmosphere of heightened paranoia, Wilde and his publishers were unwilling to risk prosecution. Tell me more about Mr. Dorian Gray. By the time he wrote the above inThe Picture of Dorian Gray had existed in three forms: the original typescript, commissioned by and submitted to J.

Stoddart also deleted many passages that smacked of decadence more generally.

The Picture of Dorian Gray had prefigured all that and set the tone for gay literature for much of the following century. Wilde worked with another editor to prepare the novel for publication in book form, enlarging it significantly and further reducing its allusions to homosexuality.

He worships him! The vast majority of Stoddart’s deletions were acts of censorship, bearing on sexual matters of both a homosexual and a heterosexual nature. In fact, the entire preface is a protest; a response to the backlash created by the original publication of his now-classic novel.

How often do you see him? Wait till you hear what I have to say.