The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde- My take
Just completed this book today, and I have a take on it. I had learned about Oscar Wilde’s sexual orientation and how he was suppressed in the Victorian era for having a homosexual relationship with his friend Lord Alfred Douglas. I know he suggested that Basil represents what he thinks he is, Dorian what he would like to be, and Lord Henry what society sees him as. However, I have a different interpretation.
I recently learned that Douglas’s mother was named Sibyl, which made me reconsider the parallels. To me, Dorian represents Douglas, Basil represents Wilde himself, constrained and unable to fully express his feelings, and Lord Henry represents someone Wilde aspires to be, embodying a more rational and uninhibited worldview. It is just my interpretation. I hope you enjoy the book.
