Introduction
Walter Pater’s “Conclusion” to Studies in the History of the Renaissance, published in 1873, presents the theory of Aestheticism, setting forth the importance of art in life and endorses art for art’s sake. The Picture of Dorian Gray is a novel by Oscar Wilde that was published in 1890. It gives the same philosophy by discussing the desire of art to shape human mentality and its consequences of pursuing pleasures without any punishments. This essay examines the connections and differentiations between Pater’s “Conclusion” and Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray by analyzing how both works logically fall in place of complementing, interrogating, and conflicting.
The Aesthetic Movement was formed in the 19th century and underlined, as its followers believed, the dominance of beauty and its role in daily being. Pater’s “Conclusion” is important for all learners of the Aesthetic Movement because it discloses prominent qualities and features of Aestheticism. Pater designs sensations and experiences to be the most essential components of art, with sensuality and beauty to be in the first place. Pater’s philosophy stipulates Wilde’s works on beauty and art as the supreme sources of human experience. The novel The Picture of Dorian Gray shows the ultimate enactment of Aestheticism and draws parallels between Pater’s philosophy and Wilde’s work.
Nothing drives home how one text complements the other more powerfully than their mutual exploration of the difficulty, or still inability, of effort and willpower to stimulate human beings as effectively as sensuality and beauty. Like twin images of one another, Pater and Wilde imagine a sensual power of art that surpasses all others in fundamental human experience. Pater’s “Conclusion” emphasizes that the significance of art is in offering an aesthetic experience. Pater illuminates, “The appeal must be to the senses, and art aims to produce a union of the several impressions conveyed to them” (176).
Likewise, the hero of Dorian Gray by Wilde is beauty-oriented, and subjective details are described with sensuous language throughout the novel. The protagonist gets much pleasure out of the “heaviness of the scented summer air” (1), and the studio itself is filled with a “rich odor of roses” (1). The interest in the sensual and the beautiful is apparent in the description of the portrait of Dorian Gray, which was said to capture “the aristocrat’s delicate features, and mysterious expression, and the altogether too perfect youth” (4) in its brushstrokes.
Lastly, both texts view art as the medium through which transcendence can be attained. Pater would imply that art changes life from the common level to the superior country above all countries through knowledge of its aesthetic motives to lend itself more definitely and fruitfully to imagination. He writes, “To burn always with this hard, gem-like flame, to maintain this ecstasy, is success in life” (178). Wilde views the same by noting that art transcends the mundanity and brutality of life, which allows the individual a path to achieve transcendence and immortality. For example, when the sight of something moves Dorian Gray, he feels as though he had “a moment of higher life, a new mode of sensation” (35). This idea of reaching a higher plane of existence is the one of which art ghosts are indicative concerning Dorian’s art obsession and aesthetic beauty.
Another area where the texts effectively supplement each other is that of pleasure and life portrayed hedonistically. Pleasure worship and beauty consecration in excess are constantly found throughout Pater’s “Conclusion” and Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. Peter writes, “It is not the fruit of experience but experience itself” (178). Dorian Gray by Wilde is a hedonistic person who looks forward to nothing but pleasure and wants it for its sake only; hence, he leads his life in self-indulgence. Pursuit is pleasure, and beauty is an end in itself.
Nonetheless, these texts also have a highly contrasting message, even though they have generalized themes. Pater’s “Conclusion” is readable as an ode to beauty and the senses but, perhaps more strongly, can be read as a product of his religious convictions necessitated doing spiritual transcendence. On the other hand, Wilde’s work is a tribute to hedonism and a search for pleasure for its own sake. To Wilde, there is no higher purpose or spiritual transcendence in indulging one with pleasures; rather, the pursuit of pleasures is part and parcel of the inhered aspect of human nature. The conversations between Dorian Gray and Lord Henry Wotton reflect a huge contrast between the characters.
Another difference between the two texts is the effect of art and seeking pleasure. In Pater’s philosophy, aesthetics is viewed as a means to transcend spiritual growth, but they accept its negative effect with an indulgence in pleasures. Peter writes, “We are all condemned, as Victor Hugo says: we are all under sentence of death, but the only way out of it, the only way to minimize the crushing, is to be aware of it” (178). On the other hand, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Wilde is a morality story in which the aftereffects of indulging in a life lavished with pleasures and being self-seeking are displayed. Dorian’s portrait is a metaphor for the havoc that a life of hedonism can wreak on a person’s soul. Therefore, while Dorian’s picture ages and rots in the attic, he remains youthful and untouched by the effects of his indulgences until the picture reflects his true self.
Conclusion
Conclusively, “Conclusion” of Studies in the History of the Renaissance and The Picture of Dorian Gray are works glorifying beauty, hedonism, and pleasure. While both the texts play around with the idea of sensuality and beauty being central to life in their way, regarding transcendence coming in as well, they are also poles apart when one witness how pleasure, art, and its implications have been handled. Pater’s “Conclusion” is an equilibrium between the search for beauty and its consequences if remarked through attention. At the same time, Wilde’s novel portrays this instant satisfaction of indulging in hedonistic pleasure. Overall, the texts complement, inquire, and conflict with each other, thus further illuminating the Aesthetic Movement and its influence on the last century’s literature and culture.
Works Cited
Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. Print.
Pater, Walter. “The Conclusion” to Studies in the History of Renaissance. Gutenberg.org, 3 October 2006. Web.
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