This essay examines the role of ennui in Dorian Gray’s moral decline in Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. By applying Charles Baudelaire’s concept of ennui as the malady of the modern age and his promotion of dandyism as an escape from the “immoral” modern utilitarian society, it argues that Wilde challenges Baudelaire’s philosophy since Dorian suffers from depression as a result of yielding to all of his desires. Drawing from Thomas De Quincey’s arguments that the cycle of restlessness and stimulation leads to violence, this essay suggests that, according to Wilde, dandyism may lead to moral decay. Therefore, Wilde questions both Baudelaire’s dandyism and the core of the Aesthetic Movement. Thus, Wilde highlights not only the dangers of sensation-seeking being promoted as an escape from monotony but also claims that dandyism can result in violence.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:sh-51654 |
| Date | January 2023 |
| Creators | Pettersson, Nora |
| Publisher | Södertörns högskola, Institutionen för kultur och lärande |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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