Mann And Wildes The Picture Of Dorian Gray - 1490 Words

Mann’s Death in Venice captures the oppressive state of early 20th century Europe through the character of Aschenbach, who’s repressed desires for beauty and youth are unleashed when he see the epitome of beauty in the boy Tadzio. Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray symbolises the aristocratic aesthete in Victorian society’s glorification of beauty, as the character of Dorian retains his beauty through the degradation of his own soul. Despite being published only 22 years apart, the novels are set in very different societies. Both texts highlight the consequences of the idealization of beauty, with both books having tragic repercussions for the beauty the characters pursue. The themes of Greek mythology, indulgency, homoeroticism and the†¦show more content†¦Wilde’s novel describes Dorian Gray as â€Å"Narcissus†, by Lord Henry. The Greek mythological character fell in love with his own reflection and died because he couldn’t t ear himself away from it. This could potentially foreshadow Dorian’s future corruption and even further death, as his own desire to shield the world from his own sinful degradation and ageing means he wears a mask of beauty and youth, in which his vanity becomes his own downfall. This can be furthered by the quote â€Å"His beauty had been to him but a mask, his youth but a mockery†, which suggests that Dorian believes his own appearance is the reason he committed acts of sin, as the sins couldn’t be written upon his face likes most peoples are. Queer theorist Bruhm suggests that, like Narcissus longing to possess the person reflected in the water, Dorian wishes to possess the person he sees in the portrait, which ultimately destroys him. Narcissistic love, Bruhm suggests, is also shown through Hallward’s reflection of his love in the portrait, which shows that an alternate image of narcissistic love is ‘creative force’, which can be shown t hrough the quote â€Å"I have put too much of myself into it†. The theme of homoeroticism links to the pursuit of beauty, as whether the characters in Wilde and Mann’s respective books are homoerotic or just admire beauty in male form is left uncertain. Butler suggests that, while psychoanalysts understand that identification with someone (be like them) and