BACKGROUND
• The Victorian era in Britain is the period from 1837 to 1901, when Queen Victoria reigned. At that time, aristocrats and wealthy people had a very luxurious, privileged life. They lived in large houses and employed images 2many servants. The men did not work and spent their time enjoying themselves going to the theatre, all kinds of social engagements, shooting parties in the country, etc.
• Personal servants were employed by upper-class people to take care of many details of daily life, such as clothes and personal possessions, arranging the daily timetable of activities, and delivering letters by hand to and from friends and acquaintances. This was a quick way of getting letters delivered before the postal system became established. The status of a personal servant was often a little higher than the status of other household servants.
• Shooting partiesin the country were a popular pastime for men in Victorian England. Groups of men rode on horseback, wearing special riding clothes. They had hunting dogs to help them find birds, deer, rabbits and foxes to shoot.
• Actresses were not considered rimagesespectable women in the Victorian era, at the time The Picture of Dorian Gray was written. It was not socially acceptable for a man from the upper classes to marry an actress.
• Tea is a very popular drink among the British, and in Victorian times was more popular than coffee.
• A painter’s knife is a special knife shaped like a spatula, but with one sharp edge. It is used by painters to scrape paint off a painting in case of mistakes. It is also used to apply paint. It gives a different texture to the paint on the canvas than a brush.
• In 1770, the British sea-captain, James Cook, discovered the east coast of Australia. In those days, Britain shipped many convicts to its American colonies. This stopped in 1783 when America became independent and convicts were then sent to Australia. These were the first white people to settle there. In the 19th and 20th centuries many Britons emigrated to Australia in the hope of making a new and better life
1-PRE-READING QUESTIONS:
a) When and where was Oscar Wilde born?
b) Was he married and did he have any children?
c) Did his life have any influence on his characters in the play? In what way?
d) Was the myth of the “eternal youth” present in other works? Name at least one and explain to your mates what that myth means.
e) Find at least one book that influenced on Wilde’s writing and say why.
ABOUT DORIAN GREY:
f) Who was Dorian Grey?
g) Why was he considered a “charming prince” by young ladies?
h) Why didn’t Dorian get old?
i) Name at least two people who died because of Dorian Grey and tell your mates about their
importance in the work.
j) In what way is the devil or other fantastic creatures present in this work?
k) Do you consider this work a “gothic” novel? Why?
l) Who were Basil Hallward and Lord Henry Wotton?
m) In what way was Sybil Vane important in Dorian’s life?
n) Do you think that Basil and Henry get along well? Why not?
I am giving you some references for you to find the answers to the questions posed:
About Oscar Wilde:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Wilde http://cmgww.com/historic/wilde/
About The character Dorian Gray:
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_retrato_de_Dorian_Gray
http://notearama.blogspot.com/2011/01/notes-on-picture-of-dorian-gray.html
http://www.oscarwilde.com/links.html
About the characters Basil Hallward, Henry Wotton and Sybil Vane:
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_retrato_de_Dorian_Gray http://notearama.blogspot.com/2011/01/notes-on-picture-of-dorian-gray.html http://www.oscarwilde.com/links.html
About other books that Wilde read and got influence from :
http://www.glbtq.com/literature/ghost_horror.html
http://notearama.blogspot.com/2011/01/notes-on-picture-of-dorian-gray.html
About the myth of “the eternal youth”: http://www.glbtq.com/literature/ghost_horror.htmlhttp://notearama.blogspot.com/2011/01/notes-on-picture-of-dorian-gray.html
About gothic novels:
http://www.glbtq.com/literature/ghost_horror.htmlhttp://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novela_g%C3%B3tica
2-Read the synopsis of the story and replace the wrong words with the ones given:
True – 19th – Success – Always – Handsome – Evil – Hides – Destroy – Beautiful – Hatred –Young
Published in 1891, The Picture of Dorian Gray is Oscar Wilde’s only novel. An immediate and popular failure, it has never been out of print. The story is set in London towards the end of the 18th century. Basil Hallward has painted a portrait of an ugly young man, Dorian Gray. Thrilled by the beauty of the painting, Dorian Gray wishes that he could never stay as young as his image in the picture. He gives up his soul to achieve this wish. Dorian sets out on a life of self-indulgence and good. His behaviour seems to be refl ected in the portrait and he realises that his wish has come false – the portrait is beginning to show a corrupted man while he remains unchanged physically. Frightened of what is happening, Dorian shows the picture in a locked room. The years pass and Dorian leads an increasingly depraved life, but the years have no effect on him; he looks as old and ugly as ever. Then one evening he meets the artist once more and, after he has shown him the evil-looking portrait, Dorian kills him in a fi t of love. Dorian is tormented by feelings of guilt and decides that the only way he can make up for what he has done is to redo the painting. In the climax of the story Dorian tries to kill the man in the portrait, but kills himself in the process.
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3-About the author: Reading.
Oscar Wilde is one of the best-known characters of British literary history. Wilde grew up in a professional middle-class family in Dublin. He was a brilliant student and came to England to study at Oxford University. He was very ambitious and wanted to join English high society. He soon became famous for his clever conversation, especially his ironic epigrams or amusing sayings. Oscar Wilde was amboyant and eccentric from an early age. At a time when men only wore black or grey he put on colourful clothes, grew his hair long and wore a green fl ower in his buttonhole.
He was a founder member of the infl uential ‘aesthetic’ movement which believed in
art for art’s sake’ and rejected the strict morality of Victorian society which regarded all sexual matters as ‘dirty’ and immoral. In Victorian England all men were expected to get married and have a family. Wilde married and had two children, but he secretly loved men, something which was considered disgusting and was a serious crime. Wilde kept his love affairs with men a secret and between 1892 and 1895 his plays made him the most successful and popular writer in Britain.
He loved mixing with the aristocracy yet his works made fun of the English upper classes and,
in a subtle way, criticised the cruel morality of his time. When Wilde was found guilty of having
a sexual relationship with a man, nearly all his friends dropped him, his plays and books were
withdrawn and his possessions were sold to pay his creditors. He came out of prison a broken
man and spent the fi nal years of his life in poverty, unable to write and forced to live in exile.
1. Where was Oscar Wilde born?
2. Why did he go to England?
3. What was his ambition based on?
4. What of Oscar Wilde’s behaviour used to draw people’s attention?
5. What were men expected to do in Victorian England?
6. What was Oscar Wilde’s secret life all about?
7. What did he use to criticize in his books?
8. Why did he end up in prison?
….
4. Choose the correct answer.
Dorian Gray was a (1. handsome / curly), innocent young man when Basil painted his portrait. In Basil’s studio, Dorian (2. destroyed / met cynical Lord Henry Wotton. Lord Henry and Dorian became friends, and soon Dorian became enchanted with Sibyl Vane, a beautiful (3. shoulder / actress). Sibyl loved Dorian, although her family was worried because she didn’t really know anything about her (4. gentleman / country) friend. Dorian invited Lord Henry and Basil to see Sibyl act in Romeo and Juliet, but her (5. performance / news) was very bad. “How (6. must / can) I imitate love when I know the real emotion?” she asked him. Dorian didn’t want to see Sibyl again and told her that. The same night he saw changes (7. in / with) his portrait. It looked cruel. Dorian then understood that Sibyl was good and (8. angry / sweet). He wanted to marry her, but it was too late because Sibyl took (9. poison / feelings) and died. For the next 18 years, Dorian led a bad life and (10. much / many) of his friends were immoral people. One night, Dorian showed Basil the (11. ugly / strong) changes in his portrait and in sudden fury, Dorian stabbed Basil in the (12. cupboard / neck). Later that night, James Vane (13. catches / caught) Dorian and almost killed him. Dorian escaped but he wasn’t satisfied with his life. He decided to become a (14. best / better) man, but his portrait did not show his good intentions. Dorian stabbed it with all his strength. Soon the servants arrived and saw a dead man with a knife in his (15. address / heart). It was the body of Dorian Gray.
…
images5-Put the following conversation between Dorian and Sibyl in order:
-Sibyl: May I ask what brings you to my dressing room? 1
-Dorian: Yes, of course. I do beg your pardon. Ophelia is a most challenging role and your performance this evening was… impeccable. In fact, extraordinary. In fact you are extraordinary. And when I saw you on the stage, and even more so, now I stand before you, I am captivated by your radiance.
-Sibyl: I am Sibyl Vane. I should be going… Jim might be outside waiting for me.
-Dorian: I was attacked in the street by someone, then I kept on walking and just happened to be passing the theatre when I saw your picture that made me enter. Please forgive my intrusion.
-Sibyl: Wait! There’s something you haven’t told me.
-Dorian: Well, Shakespeare has always caught my attention and much more when Ophelia is played by such a beautiful young lady.
-Sibyl: My brother.
-Dorian: I am Dorian Gray. And you are…?images.b
-Sibyl: What happened to your hand?
-Dorian: Jim. Oh…, of course.
-Sibyl: I meant your name. You didn’t tell me your name.
-Dorian: Brother?
-Sibyl: Mm…
6-Match a–e with 1–5 to make sentences.
a) In the centre of the room stood a portrait of …..
b) When our eyes met, …..
c) I couldn’t be happy if …..
d) This painting …..
e) Sibyl Vane …..
..
1 Will always stay young.
2 I didn’t see him every day.
3 Was shy and gentle.
4 I felt the blood leaving my face.
5 An extraordinarily beautiful young man.
7-Answer these questions:
a) What did Lord Henry say about the picture?
b) What did Dorian recognise when he first saw the picture?
c) Why was Dorian jealous of the picture?
d) How did Lord Henry’s infl uence affect the way Dorian felt about the picture?
e) What wish did Dorian make about himself and the picture?
dorian-gray
8-LET’S THINK:
Here are some points that more advanced students can be asked to consider after reading the book.
1. Describe Dorian Gray’s character and the changes in his personality during the 18 years the story covers.
2. Why did Basil worry that Dorian was too handsome and could suffer for it one day? Write a short paragraph listing your ideas.
3. Imagine Sibyl doesn’t take poison, but instead reads the letter from Dorian. How will the story be different?
4. Discuss Mrs Vane’s reactions after Sibyl told her about Prince Charming. Do you think Mrs Vane
behaved correctly?
5. In your opinion, was Dorian responsible for Sibyl’s death? Write a paragraph explaining your answer.
6. James Vane wanted to kill Dorian for hurting his sister. In your opinion, was he right? What else could he do to punish Dorian?
7. Write a short continuation of the story and describe Lord Henry’s reaction after he hears about what happened to Dorian Gray.
8-PROJECT SUGGESTIONS:
You may want to present some of these activities in the students’ own language.
1. Work in a group of three. Imagine you are three ghosts: Basil, Sibyl and Alan Campbell. Act out a conversation about Dorian Gray for the class. The three ghosts could be criticising Dorian.
2. Imagine that you are Lord Henry. Write a page in your diary describing the day at Basil’s studio when you first met Dorian Gray.
3. Work with a partner. One of you is Sibyl’s mother and the other is her friend. It is a week after Sibyl died. Write the conversation in which Sibyl’s mother tells her friend what happened to her daughter after she met Prince Charming.
4. Imagine you are Dorian’s friend Basil Hallward. Prepare a speech about what you are going to say to Dorian on his 38th birthday to persuade him to change his life. Act it out in front of the class.
5. Imagine that you are a private detective following Dorian Gray. You follow Dorian the evening before his 38th birthday and you watch the night’s activities from outside Dorian’s house. Write a short report for your boss about the people you see entering and leaving the house during the night.
6. Work with a partner. One of you is a newspaper reporter and one of you is Dorian Gray. Act out the conversation when the reporter asks Dorian questions about the death of the man in the hunting accident. Then write the reporter’s article for the newspaper.
7. Work with a partner. One of you is Dorian Gray’s personal servant and the other is a policeman. The policeman asks the servant questions after Dorian’s body is discovered. He asks about Dorian’s friends, where he went, his way of life, etc. The servant tells the policeman what he / she knows. Act out the interview for the class.
2-DORIAN GRAY’S QUIZ
dorian grey: trailer
http://blocs.xtec.cat/marti/2008/05/13/the-picture-of-dorian-gray-by-oscar-wilde/
http://www.shmoop.com/picture-dorian-gray/
http://webquest.carm.es/majwq/wq/vercaza/1407
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