Oscar Wilde's Downfall: The Picture of Dorian Gray
6/8/20261 hr 22 min
How did the anxieties of late-Victorian Britain inspire Dorian Gray? Which real people lay behind the characters of Dorian Gray?
How did the anxieties of late-Victorian Britain inspire Dorian Gray? What were the French Decadents, and how did they influence Wilde?
Join Dominic Sandbrook and Tabitha Syrett as they delve into the fascinating story behind the writing of The Picture of Dorian Gray, the world it was born of, and the novel itself.
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First 90 secondsDominic Sandbrook· Host0:00
[classical music] An exclamation of horror broke from the painter's lips as he saw in the dim light the hideous face on the canvas grinning at him. There was something in its expression that filled him with disgust and loathing. Good heavens, it was Dorian Gray's own face that he was looking at. The horror, whatever it was, had not yet entirely spoiled that marvelous beauty. There was still some gold in the thinning hair and some scarlet on the sensual mouth. The sodden eyes had kept something of the loveliness of their blue. The noble curves had not yet completely passed away from chiseled nostrils and from plastic throat. Yes, it was Dorian himself. It was some foul parody, some infamous ignoble satire. He had never done that. Still, it was his own picture. He knew it, and he felt as if his blood had changed in a moment from fire to sluggish ice. His own picture. What did it mean? Why had it altered? He turned and looked at Dorian Gray with the eyes of a sick man. His mouth twitched, and his parched tongue seemed unable to articulate.
Tabitha Syrett· Host1:25
"What does this mean?"
Dominic Sandbrook· Host1:27
Cried Hallward at last.