Chapter I, Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde

Analysis

The Picture of Dorian Gray opens in the London studio of Basil Hallward, the painter. The room is described through gracious odours and light colours of the nature. So it is presented through a sensitive perspective, that of the senses. It begininning with a long description of all pleasure and relaxing aspects of the nature that invaded the studio. The smells fragrant roses are opposed to cigarettes that the painter usually smoked. So Oscar Wilde decides to begin the description from the garden up to the room and to the image of Lord Henry Wotton who admires the portrait.

An another character who is introduced in the first pages of the the novel is artist's friend, Lord Henry Wotton. Basil is finishing painting a portrait of a “young man of extraordinary beauty”, Dorian Gray. He is the main character of the novel. He is a young man and his beauty fascinates the painter who decides to paint his portrait. Lord Henry consideres the portrait as the best work that Basil has done in his life and this is the reason why he wants that he send his work to a gallery, the Grosvenor. But Basil will not show it anywhere. (“No; I won't sent it anywhere”). His friend insists because he believes it is beautiful, but the painter justifies his decision with this sentence “ I have put too much of myself in it”.

Basil's attraction to Dorian seems to be both professional and personal. Dorian inspires Basil to a new vision of art, combining Greek perfection with Romantic passion.

It is important notice that th narrator decides to introduce the main charater through the portrait. So Basil's portrait of Dorian plays such an important role in the book. The reader meets the beauty of the picture before Dorian himself. So the narrator wants to underline physical beauty the important feautures of his character. In any case, the presence of the portrait in Chapter 1 allows the reader to perceive something about Dorian before his character appears in the novel.

The narrator uses specific elements that allow him to characterized the characters.

An additional example is the behaviour of Lord Henry. Indeed he picks a daisy from the grass to examine it, later pulling the daisy apart, an act that symbolizes his role throughout the novel as a manipulator and destroyer of beauty for his own amusement.