Sarah, nice start to this with the overview. Then your next paragraph basically gives NO details or specifics so that we really know what was discussed. I should be able to look at this paper and not have to read the article. Good with your own example. 9/10 1. January 28, Thursday
Literary Criticism Review On: "CHARACTER DESIGN IN THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY" by SHELDON W. LIEBMAN
"Conscience and temptation," "good and evil," "positive and negative moral influences"-- these are the typical themes suggested by most readers while comparing the roles of Basil and Henry Wotton. Yet in his criticism, Sheldon gives a new perspective on Wotton and Basil’s minds. Sheldon asserts that the opposition between Basil and Henry has been seriously oversimplified by most critics, reduced as it usually is to a battle between ethics and aesthetics. He then introduces a convincing information and proofs by relating the impulses and motivations of Henry Wotton to the lack of “cosmic justice” and the idea that the quest for pleasure is natural because it is an “expression of the quest for life.”
An interesting part of Sheldon’s analysis, however, is the way he links his character analysis of Wotton and Basil to the development of the main character of the novel, Dorian Gray. While many other readers and critiques simply state the role of Basil and Watton as that of Dorian’s influencer and as symbols of two contrasting aspects of a man’s characteristic, Sheldon’s review is much more detailed-- outlining and precisely describing the two different belief systems that are represented by our two influencers in the novel. It is the detailed aspect of his review that helps his criticism convince the readers about the huge influence that both Henry and Basil had on Dorian.
This review definitely gave me more solid images and ideas of Henry and Basil. Though I cannot fully agree on Sheldon’s description of Wotton, I did agree that despite the stereotypical image of Henry as a hedonist and a dilettante Wilde in reality describes Henry as an intellectual much greater than just a hedonist only interested in pleasure. While reading I was able to recall that though Basil at times speak of Henry as though Henry was corrupted to the base, he also scolds him for only “speaking” like a dilettante and in reality never acting like one. Basil calls Wotton as a good husband, and Wilde describes Henry as an intellectual full of knowledge and yet full of curiosity-- the reason, as Sheldon describes, for Henry’s general image of a pleasure seeker.
Though the focus of my essay will probably differ greatly with the points discussed in this criticism, the essay helped me understand the aspects of his own life that Oscar Wilde tries to incorporate into the novel. Henry Wotton, for example, is a curious intellectual with a pessimistic view on life. Basil, on the other hand, shows the symbols of homosexuality through his emotions and admirations of Dorian. I think the most successful thing I got from this essay is the link between Henry Wotton and Oscar Wilde. After all, Henry’s quote "Let nothing be lost upon you. Be always searching for new sensations" (p. 46) is a close resemblance of Oscar Wilde’s famous life style and characteristic.
27 pages
Citations
Sheldon W. Liebman, "Character Design in the Picture of Dorian Gray," Studies in the Novel 31.3 (1999): 296, Questia, Web, 26 Jan. 2010.
Really interesting. I never would have connected the two together in such a way. Strong assessment in the agreement, disagreement. 10/10
2. February 3, Wednesday
Literary Criticism Review On: "Wilde's the Picture of Dorian Gray and Lady Windermere's Fan" by Christopher S. Nassaar
summary of main arguments
-Nassar’s commentary on the Picture of Dorian Gray and Lady Windermere’s Fan, no doubt, was extremely interesting, convincing, and yet arguable. The journalist creates a direct connection between Wilde’s two most famous works by comparing the four different characters in Lady Windermere’s Fan with the four “stages” of Dorian’s changes. Nassar argues that Dorian in the novel experiences four different stages of morality: 1) the innocent young man posing for Basil’s painting 2) young man madly in love with Sibyl Vane 3) confused young man trying to balance off good and evil, or his two mentors, Wotton and Basil 4) murderer of Basil who has lost his conscience. According to Nassar, these stages are also represented by the four characters in Lady Windermere’s Fan; Lord Windermere represents the first stage, Lady Windermere the second, Lord Darlington the third, and Mrs. Erlynne the last. Lord Windermere, who’s in love with his wife and is trying to restore his wife’s honor and help her mother, is represented as the young, innocent Dorian (which I cannot quite agree). Lady Windermere, who starts innocent and yet turns somewhat tainted by the society’s values, fit under the second stage that Dorian went through. Lord Darlington, who seduces Lady Windermere, represents young Dorian who fights between good and evil. Lastly Mrs.Erlynne, one who becomes the stereotype of a “fallen Victorian woman” relates back to the last stage that Dorian goes through.
something surprising or interesting learned
-The way Nassar described Lord Darlington led me to hold a new perspective. I initially understood Darlington’s role as an “influencer” similar to that of Henry Wotton. In this article, however, Darlington’s complex motives are examined once again. At first, Darllington may look like a mere foil character-- a man trying to seduce and corrupt Lady Windermere-- but inside of him exists a complex conflict of good and evil, almost that of Wotton and Basil. To Lord Darlington, Lady Windermere is a figure that he can never be-- pure and innocent. Thus a part of him wants her and tries to seduce her, but we all know that by doing so Lady Windermere no longer will be the woman whom Darlington desires. An affair with Darlington will corrupt Windermere. Thus Darlington leaves England; a final decision that was meant for Lady Windermere’s sake as well as his own. This new perspective that Lord Darlington may have been a much more serious character surprised me, and I was quite convinced that Darlington may represent the conflict of good and evil (or Henry vs. Basil, as illustrated in The Picture of Dorian Gray).
agree/disagree with the ideas and then apply this to a scene or example from the book
-There were, however, somethings that I could not agree to. Nassar compares Lord Windermere as the very first stage of Dorian. Yet while reading the play I’ve never felt that Lord Windermere displays that same youthful innocence displayed by young Dorian who was posing for Basil’s portrait. The readers may, of course, regard the the Lord Windermere’s loyalty to his wife highly, but I think the comparison can’t be made between the two. If Lord Windermere were acting faithful and loyal for his life, Dorian’s first stage was merely an empty beginning-- innocent not because of a faith or loyalty but because of inexperience. For example, Lord Windermere shows signs of anger and agitation when facing questions of Lady Windermere and reacts to his situation wisely; a sign of his experience that is absent in the first stage of Dorian's inner development. Comparing Mrs. Erlynne’s rejection of motherly rights to Dorian stabbing his own portrait, however, was (in my opinion) a perfect parallelism between the two stories.
5 pages
Works Cited
Nassaar, Christopher S. "Wilde's the Picture of Dorian Gray and Lady Windermere's Fan." Explicator 54.1 (1995): 20-24. Questia. Web. 1 Feb. 2010.
Nice -- especially your understanding of the connections of mentors from his life to the page. 10/10
3. February 8, Monday
Literary Criticism Review On: page 77~100 Walter Pater’s Impressionism and the Form of Historical Revival inKnowing the Past: Victorian Literature and Cultureby Suzy Anger
Summary of main arguments
-If there were any writer who directly influenced the world and philosophies of Oscar Wilde, it would definitely be Walter Pater. Among many British prose writers from the Victorian era, the works of Walter Pater was quite noticeable. According to the writer of the criticism, Pater advanced historical aesthetics through his works such as the Marius the Epicurean (1885) or What Masie Knew (1897). Like Wilde’s, Pater’s style was also elegant, and both wrote about the dangerous ideas on art’s autonomy from morality. Pater was a practitioner of Aestheticism and Decadence-- the theory that all "natural" forms and behaviors were inherently flawed and therefore highly artificial, cultivating "unnatural" forms and styles in life as well as art-- and at the same time was a definitely contributer to the literary modernism .
something surprising or interesting learned
-An interesting thing that I learned while researching about Decadence and Walter Pater was that Pater was Wilde’s professer. During the Victorian ear there were many writers who were associated with aestheticism, but Walter Pater definitely was the leading writer and a theorist. Wilde, no doubt, took the influence of the victorian mentality and the idea of aestheticism, which is inherent in many of his works such as The Picture of Dorian Gray and Salome. For example, in one of the Pater’s essay in the Studies in the History of the Renaissance, Pater explains his aesthetic ideals that fits perfectly with those represented by the characters in Wilde’s novel. In his essay, Pater dismisses the efforts "to define beauty in the abstract" and argues that when discussing a given work of art, literature, or music, the critic must rather answer this question: "How is my nature modified by its presence, and under its influence?" This idea that the presence of beautiful objects can change things and putting beauty ahead of other values is an obvious theme in Wilde’s novels.
agree/disagree with the ideas and then apply this to a scene or example from the book
-The point that the critic tries to make is the role of Walter Pater and his influence in the Victorian literary world. After reading about Pater’s ideologies and styles, I realized that it’s quite possible that maybe Pater’s influence on Wilde could represent the relationship of Dorian and Henry. After all, Wilde had stated that Dorian’s story came from his own experience of seeing a portrait of a beautiful young man drawn by his friend (similar to Basil.) Pater’s ideologies and aestheticism would have been a perfect guideline for the character Henry, who has stated that the aim of the new Hedonism "was to be experience itself, and not the fruits of experience" -- a similar quote to Pater's "Conclusion," in which he writes, "Not the fruit of experience, but experience itself, is the end."
Thesis and outline – February 18 (10-15 points) (First rough due 11,12)
First 4 pages due and workshop – February 22
Individual Meetings -- February 24-26
Workshop and Peer Editing of paper – March 4
Paper finished -- March 11
Oscar WildeLiterary Criticism Review
Sarah, nice start to this with the overview. Then your next paragraph basically gives NO details or specifics so that we really know what was discussed. I should be able to look at this paper and not have to read the article. Good with your own example. 9/10
1. January 28, Thursday
Literary Criticism Review On:
"CHARACTER DESIGN IN THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY" by SHELDON W. LIEBMAN
"Conscience and temptation," "good and evil," "positive and negative moral influences"-- these are the typical themes suggested by most readers while comparing the roles of Basil and Henry Wotton. Yet in his criticism, Sheldon gives a new perspective on Wotton and Basil’s minds. Sheldon asserts that the opposition between Basil and Henry has been seriously oversimplified by most critics, reduced as it usually is to a battle between ethics and aesthetics. He then introduces a convincing information and proofs by relating the impulses and motivations of Henry Wotton to the lack of “cosmic justice” and the idea that the quest for pleasure is natural because it is an “expression of the quest for life.”
An interesting part of Sheldon’s analysis, however, is the way he links his character analysis of Wotton and Basil to the development of the main character of the novel, Dorian Gray. While many other readers and critiques simply state the role of Basil and Watton as that of Dorian’s influencer and as symbols of two contrasting aspects of a man’s characteristic, Sheldon’s review is much more detailed-- outlining and precisely describing the two different belief systems that are represented by our two influencers in the novel. It is the detailed aspect of his review that helps his criticism convince the readers about the huge influence that both Henry and Basil had on Dorian.
This review definitely gave me more solid images and ideas of Henry and Basil. Though I cannot fully agree on Sheldon’s description of Wotton, I did agree that despite the stereotypical image of Henry as a hedonist and a dilettante Wilde in reality describes Henry as an intellectual much greater than just a hedonist only interested in pleasure. While reading I was able to recall that though Basil at times speak of Henry as though Henry was corrupted to the base, he also scolds him for only “speaking” like a dilettante and in reality never acting like one. Basil calls Wotton as a good husband, and Wilde describes Henry as an intellectual full of knowledge and yet full of curiosity-- the reason, as Sheldon describes, for Henry’s general image of a pleasure seeker.
Though the focus of my essay will probably differ greatly with the points discussed in this criticism, the essay helped me understand the aspects of his own life that Oscar Wilde tries to incorporate into the novel. Henry Wotton, for example, is a curious intellectual with a pessimistic view on life. Basil, on the other hand, shows the symbols of homosexuality through his emotions and admirations of Dorian. I think the most successful thing I got from this essay is the link between Henry Wotton and Oscar Wilde. After all, Henry’s quote "Let nothing be lost upon you. Be always searching for new sensations" (p. 46) is a close resemblance of Oscar Wilde’s famous life style and characteristic.
27 pages
Citations
Sheldon W. Liebman, "Character Design in the Picture of Dorian Gray," Studies in the Novel 31.3 (1999): 296, Questia, Web, 26 Jan. 2010.
On Document:
Really interesting. I never would have connected the two together in such a way. Strong assessment in the agreement, disagreement. 10/10
2. February 3, Wednesday
Literary Criticism Review On:
"Wilde's the Picture of Dorian Gray and Lady Windermere's Fan" by Christopher S. Nassaar
summary of main arguments
-Nassar’s commentary on the Picture of Dorian Gray and Lady Windermere’s Fan, no doubt, was extremely interesting, convincing, and yet arguable. The journalist creates a direct connection between Wilde’s two most famous works by comparing the four different characters in Lady Windermere’s Fan with the four “stages” of Dorian’s changes. Nassar argues that Dorian in the novel experiences four different stages of morality: 1) the innocent young man posing for Basil’s painting 2) young man madly in love with Sibyl Vane 3) confused young man trying to balance off good and evil, or his two mentors, Wotton and Basil 4) murderer of Basil who has lost his conscience. According to Nassar, these stages are also represented by the four characters in Lady Windermere’s Fan; Lord Windermere represents the first stage, Lady Windermere the second, Lord Darlington the third, and Mrs. Erlynne the last. Lord Windermere, who’s in love with his wife and is trying to restore his wife’s honor and help her mother, is represented as the young, innocent Dorian (which I cannot quite agree). Lady Windermere, who starts innocent and yet turns somewhat tainted by the society’s values, fit under the second stage that Dorian went through. Lord Darlington, who seduces Lady Windermere, represents young Dorian who fights between good and evil. Lastly Mrs.Erlynne, one who becomes the stereotype of a “fallen Victorian woman” relates back to the last stage that Dorian goes through.
something surprising or interesting learned
-The way Nassar described Lord Darlington led me to hold a new perspective. I initially understood Darlington’s role as an “influencer” similar to that of Henry Wotton. In this article, however, Darlington’s complex motives are examined once again. At first, Darllington may look like a mere foil character-- a man trying to seduce and corrupt Lady Windermere-- but inside of him exists a complex conflict of good and evil, almost that of Wotton and Basil. To Lord Darlington, Lady Windermere is a figure that he can never be-- pure and innocent. Thus a part of him wants her and tries to seduce her, but we all know that by doing so Lady Windermere no longer will be the woman whom Darlington desires. An affair with Darlington will corrupt Windermere. Thus Darlington leaves England; a final decision that was meant for Lady Windermere’s sake as well as his own. This new perspective that Lord Darlington may have been a much more serious character surprised me, and I was quite convinced that Darlington may represent the conflict of good and evil (or Henry vs. Basil, as illustrated in The Picture of Dorian Gray).
agree/disagree with the ideas and then apply this to a scene or example from the book
-There were, however, somethings that I could not agree to. Nassar compares Lord Windermere as the very first stage of Dorian. Yet while reading the play I’ve never felt that Lord Windermere displays that same youthful innocence displayed by young Dorian who was posing for Basil’s portrait. The readers may, of course, regard the the Lord Windermere’s loyalty to his wife highly, but I think the comparison can’t be made between the two. If Lord Windermere were acting faithful and loyal for his life, Dorian’s first stage was merely an empty beginning-- innocent not because of a faith or loyalty but because of inexperience. For example, Lord Windermere shows signs of anger and agitation when facing questions of Lady Windermere and reacts to his situation wisely; a sign of his experience that is absent in the first stage of Dorian's inner development. Comparing Mrs. Erlynne’s rejection of motherly rights to Dorian stabbing his own portrait, however, was (in my opinion) a perfect parallelism between the two stories.
5 pages
Works Cited
Nassaar, Christopher S. "Wilde's the Picture of Dorian Gray and Lady Windermere's Fan." Explicator 54.1 (1995): 20-24. Questia. Web. 1 Feb. 2010.
Nice -- especially your understanding of the connections of mentors from his life to the page. 10/10
3. February 8, Monday
Literary Criticism Review On:
page 77~100 Walter Pater’s Impressionism and the Form of Historical Revival in Knowing the Past: Victorian Literature and Culture by Suzy Anger
Summary of main arguments
-If there were any writer who directly influenced the world and philosophies of Oscar Wilde, it would definitely be Walter Pater. Among many British prose writers from the Victorian era, the works of Walter Pater was quite noticeable. According to the writer of the criticism, Pater advanced historical aesthetics through his works such as the Marius the Epicurean (1885) or What Masie Knew (1897). Like Wilde’s, Pater’s style was also elegant, and both wrote about the dangerous ideas on art’s autonomy from morality. Pater was a practitioner of Aestheticism and Decadence-- the theory that all "natural" forms and behaviors were inherently flawed and therefore highly artificial, cultivating "unnatural" forms and styles in life as well as art-- and at the same time was a definitely contributer to the literary modernism .
something surprising or interesting learned
-An interesting thing that I learned while researching about Decadence and Walter Pater was that Pater was Wilde’s professer. During the Victorian ear there were many writers who were associated with aestheticism, but Walter Pater definitely was the leading writer and a theorist. Wilde, no doubt, took the influence of the victorian mentality and the idea of aestheticism, which is inherent in many of his works such as The Picture of Dorian Gray and Salome. For example, in one of the Pater’s essay in the Studies in the History of the Renaissance, Pater explains his aesthetic ideals that fits perfectly with those represented by the characters in Wilde’s novel. In his essay, Pater dismisses the efforts "to define beauty in the abstract" and argues that when discussing a given work of art, literature, or music, the critic must rather answer this question: "How is my nature modified by its presence, and under its influence?" This idea that the presence of beautiful objects can change things and putting beauty ahead of other values is an obvious theme in Wilde’s novels.
agree/disagree with the ideas and then apply this to a scene or example from the book
-The point that the critic tries to make is the role of Walter Pater and his influence in the Victorian literary world. After reading about Pater’s ideologies and styles, I realized that it’s quite possible that maybe Pater’s influence on Wilde could represent the relationship of Dorian and Henry. After all, Wilde had stated that Dorian’s story came from his own experience of seeing a portrait of a beautiful young man drawn by his friend (similar to Basil.) Pater’s ideologies and aestheticism would have been a perfect guideline for the character Henry, who has stated that the aim of the new Hedonism "was to be experience itself, and not the fruits of experience" -- a similar quote to Pater's "Conclusion," in which he writes, "Not the fruit of experience, but experience itself, is the end."
23 pages
Citations
Suzy Anger, ed., Knowing the Past: Victorian Literature and Culture (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2001) 77, Questia, Web, 7 Feb. 2010.
+had to do some extra research on Walter Pater:
http://www.glbtq.com/literature/pater_w.html
http://www.answers.com/topic/the-picture-of-dorian-gray-historical-context
Oscar WildeResearch Paper Deadlines
Thesis and outline – February 18 (10-15 points) (First rough due 11,12)
First 4 pages due and workshop – February 22
Individual Meetings -- February 24-26
Workshop and Peer Editing of paper – March 4
Paper finished -- March 11
Notes- Sarah J