Havelock Ellis’ Sexual Inversion was written long after, and obviously makes reference to, The Picture of Dorian Gray, but the imagery that Wilde uses is reflected in Ellis’ description of the sexually inverted boy. There are moments when the resonance in ideas and language is practically uncanny. The third paragraph in Chapter IX of Dorian Gray describes Dorian’s rising infamy in London as well as how that infamy is undermined by his beauty. In the excerpt from Ellis, he is interviewing H.C., a young male sex worker who goes by the name Dorian Gray. Ellis’ description of H.C. is eerily similar to how we read Dorian described early in the novel. The more encompassing connection however, is that for both of them, their outward beauty is a tool and a mask that allows them to commit many sins with seemingly little reproach. Despite his profession in the sex work industry, which even to this day is considered “sinful” and morally corrupt, H.C. is described by Ellis as having the “beauty of an angel” and his voice the “purity of a clarinet.” These kinds of descriptions are commonly reserved for people — particularly women, which connects this to some of the other readings about Urnings having a feminine spirit — who are considered morally and spiritually pure. Similarly, on page 91, Dorian is described as having “the look of one who kept himself unspotted from the world.” His beauty is so pure in fact, that “his mere presence seemed to recall to them the innocence they had tarnished.” These two young men are able to operate, somewhat, successfully as “sinners” because their outward “purity” makes their critics doubt themselves rather than doubt the beauty of the boys.
Class Blog
Heroism in Dorian Gray
After the death of Sibyl Vane, Lord Henry sends Dorian Gray a book that so rapidly consumes him that he begins to blur the lines between fiction and reality. About the book and Dorian’s perception of it, Wilde writes, “The hero, the wonderful young Parisian, in whom the romantic temperament and the scientific temperament were so strangely blended, became to him a kind of prefiguring type of himself. And, indeed, the whole book seemed to him to contain the story of his own life, written before he had lived it” (Wilde 91). Through Lord Henry’s book, Dorian finds a connection between the beautiful hero’s story and his own. He begins to act like the hero in the book, but with the caveat that unlike the hero, Dorian’s own looks go untarnished. Without fully realizing it, Lord Henry, who is often so quick to advise Dorian, teaches him how to behave through his book. In a similar vein, John Addington Symonds in his work “A Problem in Greek Ethics” writes about the Dorians, an ancient Greek peoples, “… The lover taught, the hearer learned; and so from man to man was handed down the tradition of heroism, the peculiar tone and temper of the state to which, in particular among the Greeks, the Dorians clung with obstinate pertinacity” (Symonds). Lord Henry, who loves Dorian, provides him with a role-model, the hero of the book, and Dorian latches onto it unceasingly.
Through Dorian’s name, Oscar Wilde creates a connection between the character and the ancient Greeks, and this connection is only strengthened with the addition of Lord Henry’s teachings. Dorian looks upon the book Lord Henry gives him as a document of his own life. He takes Symonds’ idea about the Dorians and brings it a step further, to the point that instead of merely learning from it, Dorian lives his life as art. This imitation comes directly after Sibyl’s death, a scene that Dorian relates as “her finest tragedy” (Wilde 75), which already shows his inability to distinguish between reality and art. He becomes a character in his own life, and as he becomes more and more engrossed in his own story he alienates those around him.
The Feelings of an Urning
Wilde argues with Symonds description of an Urning (a homosexual) in the scene when Hallward describes his infatuation with Dorian Gray. Symonds describes Urnings as having a feminine soul. Basil Hallward is admiting in this scene that he has feelings that transcend male friendship. But nothing so far in the text would support that Basil has a feminine soul–as he is an excellent artist, which we have learned is not allowed for women in the Victorian Era. Basil explains his feelings about Dorian as “I have worshipped you with far more romance of feeling than a man usually gives a friend. Somehow, I had never loved a woman…I quite admit that I adored you madly, extravagantly, absurdly.” (Wilde 79) He just simply never saw a woman who made him fall over with desire, then he sees Dorian and feels emotions that he has never felt before and obsesses over him to an extreme degree that he dominates his thoughts when he is with him and when they are separated. His soul is not feminine–he just has not been moved by an individual to this extent in his life and as a man, he likes other men.
The sexuality of Basil
While in class we talked mostly about how the descriptions of Dorian and Lord Henry point to their homosexual desires, we did not speak as much about the descriptions of Basil who, is the mostly clearly homosexual character out of all the others. He openly reveals his romantic desire when he tells Dorian in chapter 7: “I have worshipped you with far more romance of feeling that a man usually gives to a friend. Somehow I have never loved a woman. I suppose I never had time” (70). Dorian’s physical features as a boyish, his musical talent, characterize him as an invert, what men with same-sex attraction were called by sexologists, as well as his relationship to Lord Henry. The relationship between Lord Henry and Dorian, older man as mentor and younger man as mentee, reflect the homosexual relationships of the Greek Dorians. Lord Henry Wotton’s voice is described as musical as well. They never reveal outright their feelings towards each other or towards other men, Basil is the only one that does so. Subtle hints are not needed to inform the reader of his sexuality. It is in this passage on page 70 that Basil’s innermost thoughts and feelings are revealed to the reader and by John Addington Symonds standards he would be considered an “urning,” not just a man with same-sex desire, but a very feminine individual. Symonds writes,
The body of a male is visible to the eyes, is mensurable and ponderable, is clearly marked in its specific organs. But what we call his soul–his passions, inclinations, sensibilities, emotional characteristics, sexual desires–eludes the observation of the senses. . . . And when I find that the soul, this element of instinct and emotion and desire existing in a male, had been directed in its sexual appetite from earliest boyhood towards persons of the male sex, I have the right to qualify it with the attribute of femininity.”
The fact that Basil has such feelings for Dorian is enough to qualify him as a feminine man, or as having a feminine soul.
Bibliography
Symonds, John Addington. A Problem in Modern Ethics. 1896
Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. 1890. Ed. Michael Wilson. Watersgreen House Classics. 2015.
The Problem of the Dorians
It is in chapter 9 of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray that we can see connections to statements from John Addington Symonds. As Dorian, the main character, grows older he becomes a kind of idol to some of those in his society. Dorian becomes “the lover” that Symonds talks about in his essay “A problem in Greek Ethics.” The “young exquisites” of society who adopt Dorian’s “mode of dressing, and the particular styles that he affected from time to time” (Wilde 93) are “The Dorians” that Symonds states are the problem. These Dorians “copied everything [Dorian] did and tried to reproduce the accidental charm of his graceful…fopperies” (Wilde 93). The problem that Symonds has with this is the “encouragement of Greek love” which, in modern terms, is the encouragement of being gay. Dorian is everything the young boys in his society wish to be. He is wealthy, has Lord Henry by his side, and very handsome (being that he no longer ages). He has the opportunity to study things such as religion, the study of perfumes, music, the study of jewels, and embroideries. Dorian, on the outside, looks to be sure of himself, which is something that other young boys can look up to.
John Addington Symonds and a Description of Dorian Gray
There is a passage at the beginning of chapter nine of The Picture of Dorian Gray that reminded me of the description of the homosexual male from John Addington Symonds’s A Problem in Modern Ethics. The passage from Dorian Gray reads: “The boyish beauty that had so fascinated Basil Hallward, and many other besides him, seemed never to leave him…Men who talked grossly became silent when he Dorian Gray entered the room. There was something in the purity of his face that rebuked them. His mere presence seemed to recall to them the innocence they had tarnished. They wondered how one so charming and graceful as he was could have escaped the stain of an age that was at once sordid and sensuous.” (Wilde 91-92)
Symonds wrote in his description that the male “Urning” basically has the body of a man, but the soul of a woman. He says that “his passions, inclinations, sensibilities, emotional characteristics, sexual desires–eludes the observation of the senses.” In the above description of Dorain Gray, Wilde wrote of Dorian’s “boyish beauty,” which leaves the impression that Dorian has an effeminate look about him, in spite of his male body. Wilde also writes about how he catches the attention of the other men in the room, who wonder at his state of innocence that they no longer have, and this also relates to Symonds’s claim about characteristics eluded by the soul. Dorain’s look of purity in his face could also allude to an effeminate nature of him, as purity was something more-so socially expected of women at this period, than men. The description of Dorian as charming and graceful also mark that his presence gave off an air of what would be considered as femininity, and noticeable by others. This would also connect with Symonds’s claim of the homosexual male seeming to have a feminine soul.
Basil Hallward vs. The Labouchère Amendment
The Labouchère Amendment mentions that “[a]ny male person who in public or private commits or is a party to the commission of or procures or attempts to procure the commission by any male person of any act of gross indecency with another male person shall be guilty of a misdemeanor…” (Sexology Handout). If this is the status quo of law at the time, then it is worth noting that Basil’s admiration toward Dorian puts him in situation where he could be charged for said crime. His commission of Basil to model for his artwork may seem like artistic interest at first. However, it is at first hinted, and then revealed that Basil had ulterior motives for his artwork. He confesses to Dorian: “I wanted to have you all to myself. I was only happy when I was with you. When I was away from you, you were still present in my art. It was all wrong and foolish. It is all wrong and foolish still. Of course I never let you know anything about this. It would have been impossible.” (79). The best pieces of Basil’s artwork are driven by his passion for Dorian. He redirects his sexual desire for the youth through artistic expression. While this is within the legal guidelines of the written laws of the time, it could be argued that Basil’s actions are that of gross indecency. This would especially be the case should his feelings for Dorian come to light. That is why he refused to have the artwork shown at first. He tells Dorian, “I grew afraid that the world would know of my idolatry. I felt, Dorian, that I had told too much” (79). It is clear that Basil is trying to appease his passions at his own risk. Even though he is aware of it, emotions can cause people to disregard their own well-being for the satisfaction of their passion.
Dorian Gray and 19th Century Sexology
John Addington Symonds argues in his 1896 essay, “A Problem in Modern Ethics,” that “Urning” men are markedly different in physical appearance and mannerisms. Symonds writes that although the gay man’s body may be visibly masculine, his soul is marked by the “attribute of femininity.” This concept uses the gender binary to define what society viewed to be concrete homosexual characteristics. Wilde uses almost the same rhetoric to describe Basil Hallward in a passage from Dorian Gray. Continue reading
Prostitution in Victorian London
Flora Tristan’s account of prostitution in London, published in 1840, is remarkably sympathetic, filled with concern and even compassion for the sex workers of London. Tristan calls sex work “the most hideous of the afflictions produced by the unequal division of the world’s goods” and is very concerned by the “physical tortures” a sex worker faces daily in her occupation. Tristan takes a close look at the causes of women turning to sex work and criticizes societal inequities between men and women:
…let this monstrosity be attributed to our social state and let woman be absolved from it! As long as she is subject to the yoke of man or of prejudice, as long as she receives no profession education, as long as she is deprived of civil rights, there cannot exist a moral law for her! As long as she cannot obtain property only by the influence she has over men’s passions, as long as she has gained through her work or been given by her father, as long as she can have property and liberty only by leading a single life, there can be no moral law for her! And it can be positively stated that until the emancipation of woman has been achieved, prostitution will continue to increase.
Tristan blames men for the societal position of sex workers as well as their poor conditions and short lives. She writes about how disgusting the patrons are for torturing women by getting them really drunk and then giving them a concoction to drink that “almost always gives her horrible convulsions, and the jerkings and contortions of the unfortunate thing provoke laughter and infinitely amuse the honorable society.” Tristan targets the so-called classy English elite and criticizes them for their deplorable behavior and treatment of the women. Tristan brings up the fact that sex workers do not live very long for they are always obligated to drink alcohol with their patrons and they usually come down with pneumonia or contract sexually transmitted infections.
In Amy Levy’s poem “Magdalen,” Levy also addressed the issue of illness, disease, and sex work, however it is from the point of view of the sex worker herself. While Tristan’s piece is very sympathetic and calls for the emancipation of women to end the suffering of sex workers, Levy’s poem is even more sympathetic because the reader is listening directly to the voice of a sex worker. The woman is in a hospital designed for sex workers who have sexually transmitted infections to stay, locked away from the outside world in order to prevent the spread of disease, while the men, particularly the sailors, themselves were spreading disease. The speaker of the poem is shocked that she has contracted an illness from a man she slept with, the person to whom she is talking to throughout the poem. The hospital in which she is kept is miserable, where she hears other women cry at night:
At night, or when the daylight nears,
I hear the other women weep;
My own heart’s anguish lies too deep
For the soft rain and pain of tears.
The speaker of the poem also declares that she does not care to die because life has been so painful and death will finally be a time to rest. Like Tristan’s piece, Levy is bringing to light the physical and emotional hardships that sex workers deal with, however Levy’s “Magdalen” has her own autonomy. At the end she concludes that although this man has given her the disease that will end her life, in the end he does not define what her life was: “That all is done, that I am free; /That you, through all eternity, / Have neither part nor lot in me.”
Prostitution in London
Unlike society, Flora Tristan and Thomas Hood both have immense sympathy for the prostitute. Tristan argues that women’s dependencies on men is one of the main reasons prostitution, not only exists, but increases each year. Unlike society, Tristan has sympathy for the prostitutes because she realizes they are the aftermath of such rigid social rules for women. In “The Bridge of Sighs,” Hood describes a prostitute’s deathly jump of a prostitute to redefine her not as some awful outsider of society but a person in order invoke sympathy for her.
Tristan begins her argument with the repeated phrase, “I understand” in regard to dangerous jobs for men such as a sailor or a soldier. The phrases is repeated three times to emphasize its reduction in regard to prostitution: “But I cannot understand the prostitute, surrounding herself, destroying both her willpower and her feelings; delivering her body to brutality and suffering and her soul to scorn!” The line directs her to her main argument: a prostitute’s job can not only lead to physical death but a “moral death” as well, making it a far worse labor than a soldier or sailor.
Tristan feel strong sympathy for prostitutes because she believes women were pushed into this role due to inequality. She describes a prostitute as a woman who has been “pushed” from society because she does not have the same opportunities as men: “Yes, if you allowed her to have the same education, the same occupations and professions as the man, she would not be assailed by poverty more often than he.” Women, of course, were restricted to the home where they were to find a husband otherwise they would have no income. Even when married, the woman only existed in regard to her husband, in which her body became his property.
Once a woman is driven to prostitution, her body becomes a toy to the man. Tristan describes one amusement of the men: “One of the favorites is to make a girl dead drunk and then make her swallow some vinegar mixed with mustard and pepper; this drink almost always gives her horrible convulsions, and the jerkings and contortions of the unfortunate thing provoke laughter and infinitely amuse the honorable society.” The diction “honorable society” is meant as sarcasm, how can men possibly be “gentlemen” with this sort of behavior? How is it the woman’s fault? At the end of her essay, Tristan brings up the numbers: 80,000 to 100,000 women live by prostitution; 15,000 to 20,000 die each year and: “Every year an even greater number come to replace those whose frightful lives have ended.” More and more are become prostitutes.
Hood begins his poem with the mention of a prostitute’s death: “One more Unfortunate… / Gone to her death!” (1 and 4). He capitalizes unfortunate to suggest how it is a name for a prostitute, defining her as someone to feel pity for. He asks for someone to care for her: “Take her up tenderly, / Lift her up with care;” (5-6). This reminds me of the amusements mentions in Tristan’s article. Hood is trying to emphasize that the prostitute is human to and needs care, not someone you can just spit on or do whatever you will to.
To emphasize the sex worker’s humanity, Hood tries to think of her family. He asks: “Who was her father? / Who was her mother? / Had she a sister? / Had she a brother?” (36-39). These lines all rhyme together making the questions rush into each other. Hood is pondering the life the prostitute must have had before she worked on the streets. After all, the sex worker probably had a similar life to other middle-class women in London.
What is most irksome is Hood’s understand that the prostitute’s death was probably better than her life. As stated before, about a quarter of prostitutes die each year. Hood suggests their death is their only chance at peace: “Glad to death’s mystery, / Swift to be hurled– / Anywhere, anywhere / Out of the world!” (67-71). The repeated “anywhere” emphasizes the prostitute’s desperation to leave this cruel world and how can you not pity that?
Hood and Tristan both make good cases on why to sympathize with prostitutes. Tristan focuses more on the social and economic issues that cause the creation of the prostitute. Hood focuses on the emotionally of the prostitute to bring her back to a human level into society. Both pieces complement each other well.