Discuss the role of Caliban in the “Preface” of Wilde’s The Portrait of Dorian Gray

“The nineteenth century dislike of realism is the rage of Caliban seeing his own face in a glass.

The nineteenth century dislike of Romanticism is the rage of Caliban seeing his own face in a glass.”

In the “Preface” of The Portrait of Dorian Gray Wilde makes reference to Caliban, a character from Shakespeare’s comedy The Tempest, who is a monstrous being enslaved by the protagonist Prospero.

The reference to Caliban in the “Preface” is needed because it enlightens the disgust and the repulsive attitude of the society of the Nineteenth century toward realism and Romanticism which has given importance to personal feelings and emotion. That is society is not capable of watching what the Industrial Revolution has produced like workhouses, pollution and caused a state of alienation in workers and it does not give importance to human feelings because of the Industrial Revolution repressed human aspects and gave importance to rationality and science.

An example of dislike of realism is given by the use of the grotesque. Even though novelists like Charles Dickens wanted to represent the real social conditions they had to use exaggeration for the description of their character in order to make the reader take distances from characters like Mr. Gradgrind and not to recognize themselves in him.

An example of repression of feelings and emotion is given by the extract “Murdering the Innocents” from Dickens’ Hard Times. In the extract Mr. Gradgrind says “that” referring to a girl. The word “that” implies distance, he does not want any contact with the girl, which is an important human aspect. Also he is irritated by the language of feelings used by the girl because he does not know it and therefore considers improper. It means Mr. Gradgrind has put aside his feelings and emotions in order to be a precise man who is useful to society.

So the industrialized society is not able to see realism like Caliban because it is not able to watch how it has become and society cannot stand Romanticism because it would see something which is considered improper in the industrialized society.