Since I was always interested in “famous” writers such as Shakespeare etc., I decided to write about Oscar Wilde´s “The Picture of Dorian Gray”, for he is one of the best known writers and the title “The Picture of Dorian Gray” is nearly known by everyone.
In this essay I will compare the two different versions of his novel, the censored version from 1891 and the uncensored version from 1890 in terms of the theme of homosexuality. I will try to show that there are big differences between these two versions and that they are significant enough to be even noticed by our generation which is fairly open about the topic of homosexuality.
In order to do so I will first give a short account about homosexuality in England in the 19th century in the first chapter of the main part and then in the second and third chapter I will compare directly two chapters of the novel and show the changes that are made and analyse their effect on the mood of the scene and therefore on the novel. Lastly I will show that also the adding of a chapter changes a lot of the intention of the novel. After that I will, of course, draw a conclusion. To be able to draw my own conclusion I will only use a few sources about homosexuality in England for the first chapter of the main part such as Jeffrey Weeks “Sex, Politics & Society”, but for the comparison I will only use the Norton Critical Edition of “The Picture of Dorian Gray” and my own interpretations and analyses of the scenes.
As I said my thesis is, that there are significant changes between the two versions, which may not change the intention of the book completely to the sophisticated reader, but which make the intentions a lot clearer and more obvious even to the unsophisticated reader.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Main Part
2.1 Homosexuality in England in the 1890s
2.2 Comparison Chapter I
2.3 Comparison Chapter VII and IX
3. Adding a Chapter
4. Conclusion
Objectives and Themes
This essay explores the literary modifications between the 1890 uncensored and 1891 censored versions of Oscar Wilde’s "The Picture of Dorian Gray," specifically examining how these changes were intended to mitigate or conceal the theme of homosexuality. The research investigates how subtle textual alterations and the inclusion of new chapters shifted the narrative tone and character motivations to satisfy Victorian moral standards.
- Comparative analysis of the 1890 vs. 1891 editions of the novel.
- The historical context of homosexuality and legal regulation in 19th-century England.
- Textual examination of Basil Hallward’s confession and his relationship with Dorian.
- The strategic role of added chapters in diffusing potential homoerotic interpretations.
Auszug aus dem Buch
Comparison Chapter I
The first chapter is also a chapter with a lot of significant changes. In this scene Lord Henry is admiring the portrait of Dorian which was painted by Basil. He asks Basil about Dorian and the painter tells him how he met Dorian.
He starts with describing his reaction when he first saw Dorian Gray. Basil says that from the very beginning he was astonished by the looks of Dorian and that he could feel that this boy had a fascinating personality.
Oscar Wilde deletes the sentence here in the censored version from 1891 that Basil “knew that if [he] spoke to Dorian [he] would become absolutely devoted to him, and that [he] ought not to speak to him”10. Through deleting this sentence Wilde takes a little bit away from the context. Without his sentence this passage could be understood as if Basil was just surprised by the good looks of Dorian, but with this sentence there seems to be more to Basil´s feelings than just surprise and admiration for Dorian´s looks. Because through the notion of getting devoted to him, Wilde takes away the objectivity of Basil simply saying that Dorian is good looking. In Addition to this obvious change, Oscar Wilde also omits before that, when, in the uncensored version, Basil says: “Well, this is incredible, incredible to me at times.”11. These spoken words leave a lot of room for interpretations as it can be read as Basil is surprised by his own ´strange´feelings towards Dorian the, at this point; unknown person and these feelings may go beyond the admiration of Dorian´s looks.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: This chapter outlines the thesis that the censored version of the novel contains significant alterations designed to obscure the explicit homoerotic themes present in the 1890 original.
Main Part: This section provides a historical overview of homosexuality in the 19th century and performs a comparative textual analysis of specific chapters in both versions of the novel.
Adding a Chapter: This chapter evaluates how the addition of new content, specifically chapter 16, serves to recontextualize Dorian’s reputation away from homosexual subtext toward other vices.
Conclusion: This chapter confirms that the modifications made by Wilde effectively altered the tone of the novel, though they remained sufficiently transparent for sophisticated contemporary readers to identify the underlying homoerotic themes.
Keywords
Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Homosexuality, Censorship, Victorian Era, Literary Comparison, Homoeroticism, Basil Hallward, 1890 Version, 1891 Version, Literary Conventions, Sexual Identity, Social Morality, Narrative Tone, Textual Analysis
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this academic paper?
The paper focuses on the textual differences between the 1890 and 1891 versions of Oscar Wilde’s "The Picture of Dorian Gray," specifically looking at how the author modified the text to suppress or alter themes of homosexuality.
What are the central thematic areas covered?
The central themes include the literary representation of homoeroticism, the impact of historical censorship on literature, and the shifting social definitions of sexual behavior in Victorian England.
What is the primary objective of the research?
The primary objective is to prove that the changes in the censored version were intentionally made by Wilde to diminish the presence of homoerotic subtext and to make the narrative more acceptable to the societal standards of the time.
Which methodology is utilized?
The author uses a comparative textual analysis method, examining side-by-side variations in specific chapters and evaluating them against historical and social context provided by secondary sources.
What topics are discussed in the main body of the work?
The main body discusses the legal status of homosexuality in the 1890s, analyzes specific deletions and additions in key chapters of the novel, and investigates the changing characterization of the relationship between Basil Hallward and Dorian Gray.
Which keywords characterize this study?
Key terms include Oscar Wilde, censorship, homoeroticism, literary comparison, 19th-century sexuality, and textual revisions.
Why does the author focus specifically on Basil Hallward’s confession?
The author highlights Basil’s confession because the modifications between the two versions are most dramatic in these scenes, shifting from a clear declaration of romantic love to a more detached aesthetic admiration.
How does the addition of Chapter 16 contribute to the author's argument?
The author argues that by introducing new narrative elements like drug use and prostitution in the added chapter, Wilde successfully provides alternative explanations for Dorian’s "bad reputation," effectively masking the earlier insinuations of homosexual corruption.
- Quote paper
- Niels Schreiber (Author), 2013, The Picture of Dorian Gray. A Comparison of the two Versions, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/288210
