Caution: Hot

In the preface of The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde lays out, point-blank, his feelings on the subject of art, so that his readers will know exactly what to expect and cannot blame him for the contents of his book. This preface is a bit like the “Caution: Hot” warnings on cups of coffee. McDonald’s just has to say it so that they can be sure they won’t be sued. Wilde states that “there is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book.  Books are well written, or badly written. That is all.”

Wilde actually wrote the preface, as well as six additional chapters, after he re-released the novel. When it was first released, the unsavory contents of Dorian Gray caused it to be criticized as scandalous, and poorly received. He edited it and added the preface before he released it again. The scandalous nature of the book, and its immorality, had not changed much, but Wilde put a disclaimer on it this time. He defended himself by saying that “no artist has ethical sympathies. An ethical sympathy in an artist is an unpardonable mannerism of style.” In essence, he was requesting that he be excused from the typical standards of society because he was an artist, and art had no business being moral. By extension, an artist had no business being moral either.

In the novel, this principle came into play when Dorian exclaimed that his “picture will always remain young...If it were only the other way!” He promises his soul in exchange for the opportunity to change places with his painting. He will forever stay young and beautiful, and his portrait will age and wither. In this way, he becomes the work of art, and art has no business being moral. Soon after this, Dorian Gray caved to Lord Henry’s influence, and the book became scandalous enough to be criticized. Wilde’s principles apply to The Picture of Dorian Gray in two layers: first, the book itself cannot be considered immoral, thanks to Wilde’s preface, or disclaimer; and second, to Dorian Gray, who becomes art and is thus incapable of immorality as well. The ideas expressed in the preface excuse both the book and its main character.

Wilde’s principles excuse him as well. He indulged in acts that were considered immoral at the time, such as a homosexual relationship. Unfortunately, the rest of society did not see Wilde’s rights as an artist the same way he did, and he was sentenced to two years of hard labor for acts of “gross indecency” under English sodomy laws. Interestingly, Oscar Wilde converted to Roman Catholicism on his deathbed. Many people have used this as a “safety net” tactic, where they can live their lives in any manner they wish, so long as they convert and repent in time to be escorted to the Pearly Gates. If this was Oscar Wilde’s thought process, I wonder if he was as true to his tenets of morality as the novel leads us to believe.

Sources: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, and “Context of The Picture of Dorian Gray,” hosted by SparkNotes.