61 pages 2 hours read

Oscar Wilde

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1890

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Essay Topics

1.

Perform a detailed character analysis of Dorian Gray. What thematic message does Wilde develop through both Dorian’s traits and his character arc?

2.

Perform a detailed analysis of Dorian Gray’s portrait. What message does Wilde assert through the visual and thematic presence of the painting?

3.

Use outside sources that give historical context for the homosexual male experience during the time period in which The Picture of Dorian Gray takes place. Then, situate Basil Hallward within this context. Through Basil, what is Wilde communicating about the homosexual male experience of the era?

Related Titles

By Oscar Wilde

Study Guide

logo

An Ideal Husband

Oscar Wilde

An Ideal Husband

Oscar Wilde

Study Guide

logo

A Woman of No Importance

Oscar Wilde

A Woman of No Importance

Oscar Wilde

Study Guide

logo

De Profundis

Oscar Wilde

De Profundis

Oscar Wilde

Plot Summary

logo

Lady Windermere's Fan

Oscar Wilde

Lady Windermere's Fan

Oscar Wilde

Study Guide

logo

Lord Arthur Savile's Crime

Oscar Wilde

Lord Arthur Savile's Crime

Oscar Wilde

Study Guide

logo

The Ballad Of Reading Gaol

Oscar Wilde

The Ballad Of Reading Gaol

Oscar Wilde

Study Guide

logo

The Canterville Ghost

Oscar Wilde

The Canterville Ghost

Oscar Wilde

Study Guide

logo

The Decay of Lying

Oscar Wilde

The Decay of Lying

Oscar Wilde

Study Guide

logo

The Nightingale and the Rose

Oscar Wilde

The Nightingale and the Rose

Oscar Wilde

Study Guide

logo

The Selfish Giant

Oscar Wilde

The Selfish Giant

Oscar Wilde

Study Guide

logo

The Soul of Man Under Socialism

Oscar Wilde

The Soul of Man Under Socialism

Oscar Wilde