Litterary Gothicism
In forming an understanding of a subject the name of the phenomenon is always a good place to start. In this instance the word we would want to study is “gothic” which origins from the noun Goth. The Goths were a Germanic people who lived primarily in the southern parts of what is now Sweden but later moved to the southern shores of the Baltic Sea were they lived in conflict with the contemporary Romans. Today, however, the word gothic speaks of something creepy or scary, a connotation that finds its roots in the Renaissance. That era was the rebirth of classical antiquity and everything that the Greeks and Romans had left behind was revered by the philosophers of the time. What was built during the Middle Ages was less well thought of and therefor called gothic, this was not because it had any real connection with the Goths but because it seemed to convey a barbaric touch when compared to the classical architecture as were the Goths considered barbaric in comparison to the Romans. (UC Davis, n.d.)
From this original connotation of the word “gothic” in an architectural context, the word was later transposed and used when talking about literature. This novel genre was introduced to the literary society during the Romantic Era where it worked as a great contrast to the typical Romantic literature. The gothic novel is normally set in a rather dreary environment of medieval character such as a castle, manor or abbey and often features some sort of supernatural phenomenon. The plot usually revolves around a person unconsciously victimised by temptation introduced to her by the antagonist, an arrangement described on a site provided by the University of California with the following words: “A protagonist's fall from grace as she succumbs to temptation from a villain.” (UC Davis, n.d.)
When looking at the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray one will not find all three characteristics described above, but only the two latter. The story is not set in a medieval environment but simply in the midst of upper class London. This lack of a surrounding matching the gothic mood might be considered to soften the gothic effect, however, my personal opinion is quite the opposite. The comparatively modern society with all its normalities makes the odd turn of events stand out ever more prominently, it creates a strong contrast. (Instead of finding all the elements of gothic literature as one might in a horror novel, one will only find two in Oscar Wilde´s novel.) The plot on the other hand which Mr Wilde applies to his novel is classically gothic. His protagonist, Dorian Gray, falls prey to temptation and sin as a result of the influence of the villain, Lord Henry Wotton. Dorian is but a boy with his whole life ahead of him and every door is open to him because of his beauty and elegant manners. When encountered with Lord Henry he is ensnared by the older man´s constant stream of inappropriate yet fascinating theories. They thrill Dorian and drag him down, making him a dark shadow of his previous self, being equivalent with “falling from grace” as it is put in the citation above.
The other gothic element one finds in The Picture of Dorian Gray is the presence of the supernatural. This force is put in action when Dorian ruthlessly breaks a young woman´s heart and causes her to commit suicide. The portrait Dorian has of himself, painted by Basil Hallward, starts to change in relation to his behaviour in answer to a prayer uttered at his first seeing the masters work. His cruelty towards the woman, Sibyl Vane, has left marks around his mouth and Dorian thus reaches the conclusion that “the portrait was to bear the burden of his shame” (p. 102). Hence as his life descends ever farther into sinful pleasure and idleness the likeness is distorted, becoming more perverse by the day. Like a mirror it shows him his true appearance like no realistic object could be capable of.
At this stage one can draw clear connections to Shakespeare and his tragedies and more specifically to Macbeth where all the characteristics of the Gothic seem to be present; the medieval castle, the supernatural (the witches and their prophecy) and the fall from grace due to temptation. Added to these characteristics Macbeth also features a gothic element which has not yet been alighted: madness. This infectious illness which seems to appear wherever crime and sin is committed is indeed a very symbolising trait. Though being embodied foremost in Lady Macbeth it is very much present almost throughout Shakespeare’s play. Showing its presence in soliloquies such as “Is this a dagger which I see before me?” (Shakespeare, W. Macbeth Act 2 Scene 1 Line no 33). Oscar Wilde´s novel also comes to feature this devastating mind-set though it may not take quite as an extreme an expression as it does in Macbeth. Such connections as this can most certainly exist between a number of Shakespeare´s tragedies but seeing that Macbeth is probably the one in which madness plays its most prominent part and also answered all the other characteristics of Gothicism it suited this comparison particularly well.
To conclude this one may come to the conclusion that Oscar Wilde´s novel most likely fits into the gothic genre. It features a majority of those traits which usually characterises Gothicism and thus it can take its place beside works such as Mary Shelly´s Frankenstein or Emily Bronte´s Wuthering Heights, to name but a few, without shame. Dorian Gray, but for all his boyish virtues, turns out perhaps even more a devastating experiment than any of Shelly´s design and, in the end, seems to embody all that is perverse. Yet even though gothic literature begun as a counter act for the soft and exuberantly beautiful Romanticism it never quite left and has kept appearing in the bookshelves of the next generation, and most likely so it will continue to haunt us as long as we keep reflecting over what might be under our bed when we are going to sleep.
// Elin Stendahl (13 May 2013)
Sorces:
Wlide, O. ed., 2000. The Picture of Dorian Gray. 2nd edt. London: Penguin Books Ltd.
UC Davis, n.d. The Gothic Novel. [online] Available at: http://cai.ucdavis.edu/waters-sites/gothicnovel/155breport.html [Accessed: 20 March 2013].
Shakespeare, W., 1993. Macbeth. Hylton, J. Cambridge: The Tech online edit
From this original connotation of the word “gothic” in an architectural context, the word was later transposed and used when talking about literature. This novel genre was introduced to the literary society during the Romantic Era where it worked as a great contrast to the typical Romantic literature. The gothic novel is normally set in a rather dreary environment of medieval character such as a castle, manor or abbey and often features some sort of supernatural phenomenon. The plot usually revolves around a person unconsciously victimised by temptation introduced to her by the antagonist, an arrangement described on a site provided by the University of California with the following words: “A protagonist's fall from grace as she succumbs to temptation from a villain.” (UC Davis, n.d.)
When looking at the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray one will not find all three characteristics described above, but only the two latter. The story is not set in a medieval environment but simply in the midst of upper class London. This lack of a surrounding matching the gothic mood might be considered to soften the gothic effect, however, my personal opinion is quite the opposite. The comparatively modern society with all its normalities makes the odd turn of events stand out ever more prominently, it creates a strong contrast. (Instead of finding all the elements of gothic literature as one might in a horror novel, one will only find two in Oscar Wilde´s novel.) The plot on the other hand which Mr Wilde applies to his novel is classically gothic. His protagonist, Dorian Gray, falls prey to temptation and sin as a result of the influence of the villain, Lord Henry Wotton. Dorian is but a boy with his whole life ahead of him and every door is open to him because of his beauty and elegant manners. When encountered with Lord Henry he is ensnared by the older man´s constant stream of inappropriate yet fascinating theories. They thrill Dorian and drag him down, making him a dark shadow of his previous self, being equivalent with “falling from grace” as it is put in the citation above.
The other gothic element one finds in The Picture of Dorian Gray is the presence of the supernatural. This force is put in action when Dorian ruthlessly breaks a young woman´s heart and causes her to commit suicide. The portrait Dorian has of himself, painted by Basil Hallward, starts to change in relation to his behaviour in answer to a prayer uttered at his first seeing the masters work. His cruelty towards the woman, Sibyl Vane, has left marks around his mouth and Dorian thus reaches the conclusion that “the portrait was to bear the burden of his shame” (p. 102). Hence as his life descends ever farther into sinful pleasure and idleness the likeness is distorted, becoming more perverse by the day. Like a mirror it shows him his true appearance like no realistic object could be capable of.
At this stage one can draw clear connections to Shakespeare and his tragedies and more specifically to Macbeth where all the characteristics of the Gothic seem to be present; the medieval castle, the supernatural (the witches and their prophecy) and the fall from grace due to temptation. Added to these characteristics Macbeth also features a gothic element which has not yet been alighted: madness. This infectious illness which seems to appear wherever crime and sin is committed is indeed a very symbolising trait. Though being embodied foremost in Lady Macbeth it is very much present almost throughout Shakespeare’s play. Showing its presence in soliloquies such as “Is this a dagger which I see before me?” (Shakespeare, W. Macbeth Act 2 Scene 1 Line no 33). Oscar Wilde´s novel also comes to feature this devastating mind-set though it may not take quite as an extreme an expression as it does in Macbeth. Such connections as this can most certainly exist between a number of Shakespeare´s tragedies but seeing that Macbeth is probably the one in which madness plays its most prominent part and also answered all the other characteristics of Gothicism it suited this comparison particularly well.
To conclude this one may come to the conclusion that Oscar Wilde´s novel most likely fits into the gothic genre. It features a majority of those traits which usually characterises Gothicism and thus it can take its place beside works such as Mary Shelly´s Frankenstein or Emily Bronte´s Wuthering Heights, to name but a few, without shame. Dorian Gray, but for all his boyish virtues, turns out perhaps even more a devastating experiment than any of Shelly´s design and, in the end, seems to embody all that is perverse. Yet even though gothic literature begun as a counter act for the soft and exuberantly beautiful Romanticism it never quite left and has kept appearing in the bookshelves of the next generation, and most likely so it will continue to haunt us as long as we keep reflecting over what might be under our bed when we are going to sleep.
// Elin Stendahl (13 May 2013)
Sorces:
Wlide, O. ed., 2000. The Picture of Dorian Gray. 2nd edt. London: Penguin Books Ltd.
UC Davis, n.d. The Gothic Novel. [online] Available at: http://cai.ucdavis.edu/waters-sites/gothicnovel/155breport.html [Accessed: 20 March 2013].
Shakespeare, W., 1993. Macbeth. Hylton, J. Cambridge: The Tech online edit