A Comparison of Oscar Wilde and Dorian Gray Essay -- Wildre Dorain Gra

A Comparison of Oscar Wilde and Dorian greyness One novel that stands out as literary masterpiece is The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Wilde wrote a dark tale of a man, Dorian Gray, who destroys his life by exchanging his soul for eternal youth and beauty. The character of Dorian Gray, in more aspects, mirrors the self-destruction of the authors own life. Therefore, Oscar Wilde portrays his own life through Dorian Gray, the main character of the novel. Oscar Fingal O Flahertie Wills Wilde is one of Birtains close well known authors. What many people do not know is that the life story of Oscar Wilde has become...one of the tragic legends of the ages (Broad v). Wilde was born in 1854 in Dublin, Ireland to Sir William Wilde, a distinguished surgeon specializing in opthalmology, and Lady Wilde, a poet who ran a literary salon in Dublin. Being an excellent student, he won a scholarship to Magdalen College, Oxford in 1874. Wilde soon adopted his parents talents for ostentatio n always stuffing flamboyantly and speaking in a wry, ironic matter when pertaining to subjects that he held in distaste. He graduated with honors and became a very distinguished man, but even out his high stature could not prevent him from the tragedies of life. The Picture of Dorian Gray is very much the authors autobiography (Belford 170). In 1883, after he moved to London, he married Constance Mary Lloyd and had two sons. Wilde is thought to have married Constance in order to quell rumors about his possible homosexuality, as well as to rear him with a regular income (Holland 113) because it was not looked upon kindly in England in the 1800s if one was a homosexual. In 1891, The Picture of Dorian Gray was published in guard form, and ... ...lde and Dorian are homosexual and find pleasure in being with men. Wilde greatly reflects his life and tells his own life story through one of his most well known and controversial novels of all time The Picture of Dorian Gray. Works Cit ed Belford, Barbara. Oscar Wilde. refreshful York Random House, 2000 Broad, Lewis. The friendships and Follies of Oscar Wilde. New York Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1954. Ericksen, Donald. Oscar Wilde . Boston G. K. Hall & Co., 1977 Holland, Merlin. The Wilde Album. New York Henry Holt and Company, 1997. Hyde, H Montgomery. Oscar Wilde/ The Aftermath. New York Farrar, Straus & Co. , 1963 Pearson, Hesketh. Oscar Wilde His Life and Wit. New York Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1946 Pink Monkey. www.pinkmonkey.com 15 Jan. 2001 Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. New York Random House, 1956.