Female Characters in Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray"

Essay from the year 2021 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies, grade: 1.0, University of Paderborn (Fakultät für Kulturwissenschaften, Anglistik), language: English, abstract: Oscar Wilde, one of the world's most important and renowned poet and playwright was indeed a man with cynical manners regarding women. His novel "-The Picture of Dorian Gray" is a playground for sexual and moral ambiguities. The revolutionary aphorisms that it contains caused a scandal in Victorian England. The story takes place in the end of 19th century London and the immoral and perverse features in Oscar Wilde's work are especially striking because the Victorian Age was characterized by its profound social and cultural value system. His subversive Gothic novel is known for speaking out unspeakable things and challenging limits of morality in a time of fixed conventions and strict ideals. It is a relevant roman à clef about beauty, youth and desire down to the present day. With Wilde being known for defying social conformity, the question comes up how compatible are the female characters in "-The Picture of Dorian Gray"- with Victorian values and virtues?