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Selby Royal, Nottinghamshire

~ lipshies1

Selby Royal is the fictional country estate where Dorian hosts a house party where the Duke and Duchess of Monmouth, Lord Henry, Lady Naraborough, and other distinguished guests gather.

Screen Shot 2015-12-02 at 10.55.33 PM  Screen Shot 2015-12-02 at 11.56.30 PM(Victorian Google Maps image on right, Fictional depiction of Selby Royal on left)

The guests are gathered in the conservatory of the Selby Royal enjoying tea, cakes, and the company of the other twelve guests around them. At the house-party Dorian is whispering in the ear of the Duchess of Monmouth in front of her elderly husband is present who is “a jaded-looking man of sixty” (Chapter 17). The Duchess and Dorian continue in conversation about the value of beauty, love, and life experiences. Later on at the party, Dorian claims he sees the face of James Vane in the window and is terrorized for the remainder of the evening.

The country house is in Nottinghamshire, far from London, but its description reveals that the West End of London’s wealth is represented in the activities and the decor. The plates are fine china and silver, the wicker chair is draped in silk, and the lamp is covered in lace. In the beautiful countryside home, the Duke speaks of his latest Beetle for his collection exemplifying the wealthy’s appreciation of nature. The furnishings are high end and this nature is morphed into valuables with the Duke’s immortalization of the Brazilian Beetle.

“On a peach-coloured divan sat Lady Narborough, pretending to listen to the duke’s description of the last Brazilian beetle that he had added to his collection.”

The crime in the area is relatively non-violent.  Crimes consisted of mainly theft and deception. According to the Proceedings of Old Bailey, the most interesting  instance of theft was when someone stole another’s horse. The offender was found not guilty.

The wealth of the area was relatively well to do middle class. Some of the people in the area were poor but the majority were living comfortably or very comfortably like Dorian. This area of the country was a place for the upper middle class to have nice homes close to nature with neighbors of similar wealth. The country allowed them to seek the peace of nature without forfeiting their comfortable lifestyles.

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Works cited

“Booth Poverty Map. Charles Booth Online Archive. New Bond Street.  Web. 1 Dec. 2015.
“The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891) Chapter 17.” – Wikisource, the Free Online Library. Web. 1 Dec. 2015.
“The Proceedings of the Old Bailey.” Results. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2015.

 

Piccadilly

~ Jordana Jampel

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With development starting as early as the sixteen hundreds, Piccadilly runs across London and serves as the main highway that connects the west end to the east end (Piccadilly, Southside). Piccadilly runs just north of Green Park and south of the Royal Academy and meets Regent Street at the famous Piccadilly Circus. Not only did Piccadilly serve as the gateway from the West to the metropolitan area of England, but it was also the site of many newly erected mansions throughout the seventeenth century. Right from the beginning of Piccadilly’s history, the street has been an area of wealth, as we can see on the Booth Online Poverty Map.

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Due to the area’s apparent wealth, throughout history, this area has been the setting for political grounds. In the article, “Mansions in Piccadilly,” we learn that, “For a century and a half this house has been one of the special rendezvous of the Whig party. “Three palaces in the year 1784,” writes Sir N. W. Wraxall, “the gates of which were constantly thrown open to every supporter of the ‘Coalition’ (against Pitt), formed rallying-points of union.” One of these was Burlington House, then tenanted by the Duke of Portland; the second was Carlton House, the residence of George, Prince of Wales; the third was Devonshire House, which, ‘placed on a commanding eminence opposite to the Green Park, seemed to look down upon the Queen’s House, constructed by Sheffield, Duke of Buckingham, in a situation much less favoured by nature.'” Due to Piccadilly’s plethora of wealth, many shop owners, especially booksellers, started opening up stores in what is now known as one of the most famous shopping areas of London. Many book shops and publishing houses were opened up, and by, “1850 or 1851 the firm of Chapman and Hall came from the Strand to No. 193 Piccadilly, where it remained until its removal to Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, in 1881. Chapman and Hall’s authors included the Brownings, Trollope, Meredith and Dickens” (Piccadilly, South Side). This area became more and more popular, especially for authors and other cultured people. Soon enough, the Royal Academy was developed right off Piccadilly, as well as restaurants, inns, and many more shops.

As Dorian describes how he met Sibyl Vane to Lord Henry, he begins by telling Lord Henry, “As I lounged in the Park, or strolled down Piccadilly, I used to look at every one who passed me, and wondered, with mad curiosity, what sort of lives they led” (52). We learn that Dorian, instead of roaming around the wealthy, cultured neighborhood of which he was a part, decides to head eastward in order to find true beauty. It is interesting that Dorian, although immersed in the arts, wealth, and beauty of Piccadilly, felt he needed to seek true beauty elsewhere; this detail, in my opinion, foreshadows Dorian’s spiral downward. He no longer finds beauty in the intellectual and artistic aspects of his upper-class life, rather finds amusement through grime and sin.

Works Cited

“Piccadilly, South Side.” Survey of London: Volumes 29 and 30, St James Westminster, Part 1. Ed. F H W Sheppard. London: London County Council, 1960. 251-270. British History Online. Web. 1 December 2015.

Walford, Edward. ‘Mansions in Piccadilly.’ Old and New London: Volume 4. London: Cassell, Petter & Galpin, 1878. 273-290. British History Online. Web. 1 December 2015.

Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 2003. Print.

Selby Royal, Nottinghamshire – Dorian’s Country Home

~ Daniela

Daniela Velez

Prof. Swafford

ENG 493-02

Final Project, Location: Selby Royal

“Are they true? Can they be true? When I first heard them, I laughed. I hear them now, and they make me shudder. What about your country-house and the life that is led there? Dorian, you don’t know what is said about you.”

-Basil Hallward to Dorian Gray in Chapter XI, The Picture of Dorian Gray

Nottinghamshire, Nottingham Castle 1900's
This is not Selby Royal (which is fictional) but Nottingham Castle in Nottinghamshire in the 1900s.

 

Nottinghamshire – being in the country, not in the city- is excluded from the Charles Booth Online Archive. There is not even a mention of Nottinghamshire in the index of subjects, places, people, and institutions mentioned in the survey. This mirrors the location’s importance in the story. While away in the countryside, the wealthy and the privileged elite are physically far away from the public’s scrutiny but they cannot completely escape it.

Nottinghamshire is far out of the area that Victorian Google Maps covers, but it is helpful to see how far away Nottinghamshire is from London.
Nottinghamshire is far out of the area that Victorian Google Maps covers, but it is helpful to see how far away Nottinghamshire is from London.

Although Basil hears rumors of Dorian’s “country-house and the life that is led there,” there is no evidence of the events that occur, besides Dorian’s somewhat tarnished reputation, which he cares little for. Selby Royal is foreshadowed by Basil’s interrogation of Dorian in the chapter preceding his violent murder and the convenient accidental death that takes place at Selby Royal after it. Before readers see or experience Dorian’s country home, it already has a negative connotation. When James Vane is killed this only solidifies Selby Royal as a location where Dorian lives with little regard to the consequences of his actions.

A week later Dorian Gray was sitting in the conservatory at Selby Royal, talking to the pretty Duchess of Monmouth, who with her husband, a jaded-looking man of sixty, was amongst his guests.

-Chapter XVII, The Picture of Dorian Gray

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Accessed through the British History Online Archive, Robert Thoroton’s History of Nottinghamshire documents the parishes and churches in the area. Published in 1796, the source can be considered far removed from the time period in which The Picture of Dorian Gray takes place, but it is still useful in understanding the history the countryside would have been associated with in the minds of Victorian readers. A

majority of the images archived online feature in Thorton’s volumes are images of the numerous churches in Nottinghamshire. As we know from our study of the Victorian Era, religion and piety were of the utmost importance in society, but the images of these churches were captured prior to this time period which began in the early 1800s. As modern readers we can speculate whether or not the religious history of Nottinghamshire had some influence on Wilde’s decision to place Dorian’s fictional country manor there.

Screen Shot 2015-12-01 at 7.10.03 PMA search of the Proceedings of the Old Bailey turns up only one crime that took place in Nottinghamshire, the theft of a horse. This may remind readers of Dorian Gray riding off on his mare to the stables to see the body of James Vane. Nottinghamshire does come up in other cases a total of twenty nine times but the area is usually mentioned in a positive light. For example, one ordinary’s testimony states “That he was born of good Parents, at Leeks in Nottinghamshire.” Therefore, we can conclude that Nottinghamshire would have been associated with a very peaceful and crime free, almost utopian, country parish. I would compare this to the way many residents of New York City view the Hudson Valley area. By setting up this country home as a topic of gossip and controversy, Wilde is undermining his Victorian audience’s perspective of the area. This gives the impression that danger, crime, and sin are not isolated to a location like the East End. In Wilde’s novel, Selby Royal is both the grand estate associated with the wealthy upper classes and a mansion of improprieties and sins that are implied and spoken about, but never directly addressed.

Works Cited

“Booth Poverty Map & Modern Map (Charles Booth Online Archive).” Booth Poverty Map & Modern  Map (Charles Booth Online Archive). N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2015.

“The Proceedings of the Old Bailey.” Results: Nottinghamshire. Old Bailey Online, n.d. Web. 01 Dec.2015.

Robert Thoroton, ‘Plate 3: Views of several churches’, in Thoroton’s History of Nottinghamshire: Volume 1, Republished With Large Additions By John Throsby, ed. John Throsby (Nottingham,       1790), p. 3 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/thoroton-notts/vol1/plate-3 [accessed 1 December  2015].

Wilde, Oscar, and Camille Cauti. The Picture of Dorian Gray. New York: Barnes & Noble Classics,  2004. Print.

Bond Street

~ Jasmine Torres

When I first starting searching Bond Street, I noticed that it was split between New Bond Street and Old Bond Street. Old Bond Street is closer to the Royal Academy of Arts, while New Bond Street is closer to Dorian Grey’s home in Grosvenor Square.

New Bond Street

According to the Charles Booth Archive, both streets were predominantly middle class, with the surrounding areas being occupied by upper class families. When searching the Old Bailey, I found that majority of the crimes had been theft,  which ranged from pick pocketing to burglary.  Only five murders occurred on New Bond Street, suggesting that it was a fairly peaceful area. However, when I simply typed in the phrase “New Bond Street”, I got 271 hits. Out of those 271 hits, 182 of them belonged to the Theft category.

Bond Street is mentioned at the end of Chapter 15. Before Bond Street is mentioned, Dorian is showed to be on edge. After killing Basil, he becomes nervous when Lord Henry casually asks him what he had been doing the previous night. Dorian then goes home to escape any more questioning that may cause him to reveal anything suspicious, and then proceeds to burn Basil’s belongings in a fire. After almost taking some opium, he then leaves his home and hails a hansom on Bond Street. He gives the driver an address that is so far the driver initially refuses to take him there, and after money is offered, we are left with Dorian heading to this unknown location.

Bond Street’s proximity to the Royal Academy of Art suggests the theme of art in the novel. Dorian in Chapter 11 was seen to be the go-to person to consult on the subject of art and culture. In this scene, he is leaving not just Bond Street, but the area, as he is heading towards the river. Areas along the river often had a high level of criminal activity. Since Dorian is leaving Bond Street and heading towards the river, it’s being suggested that Dorian is beginning the process of shedding the idea of him being a person who belongs to the society that cares about art and culture. The inclusion of Bond Street also shows how out of place Dorian is becoming. Since on Bond Street there were very little murders, showing Dorian (who had just recently murdered Basil) on Bond Street may foreshadow his secret being revealed.

Works Cited

“Booth Poverty Map. Charles Booth Online Archive. New Bond Street.  Web. 30 November 2015.

“The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891)/Chapter 15.” – Wikisource, the Free Online Library. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

“The Proceedings of the Old Bailey.” Results. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.

Blue Gate Fields

~ Courtney K.

Having not read The Picture of Dorian Gray at all prior to this class, but only having a basic overview of the plot, I went in thinking that Blue Gate Fields would be a extremely fancy place. Well, I guess we all have those moments when our dreams are shattered. Just like Dorian. Blue Gate Fields happens to be one of the most notorious slums harboring many opium dens that Dorian frequents. Given the fact that we have read about opium dens in Sherlock Holmes, the geographical location of this “maybe real, maybe fantastical” area would be around a harbor or a dock so that the smuggling of opium by water could happen.

blue gate fields

In Chapter 11, there is only one part that specifically mentions the Fields, but it is a crucial moment where Dorian falls into corruption: “Then, suddenly, some night he would creep out of the house, go down to dreadful places near Blue Gate Fields, and stay there, day after day, until he was driven away” (Chpt. 11). Despite the fact that I could not find a specific place that was donned the name “Blue Gate Fields,” I was able to come up with an area that might have been given the notorious name. The dens symbolize Dorian’s inner turmoil. The need to smuggle himself away from his proper lifestyle and squander himself among the slums exploits the inner darkness he is harboring, just like the slums hidden behind closed doors.

In the Victorian Dictionary, an entry for Blue Gate Fields depicting the place as the following: “Generally, the name “Bluegate Fields” was used to refer to one of the worst slum areas that once existed at the east end of London (just north of the old London docks) during Victorian times” (Fisher, “Bluegate Fields”). Here we can see the sin and corruption seeping out of the painting into Dorian himself. The areas in which Dorian frequents becomes an external source to the corruption of the painting. Even though he may not age, there is still his reputation that can become damaged. The fact that Dorian would go to one of the worst slums in all of Victorian London explores the corruption of the inside leaking out of him as opposed to the painting which exploits the corruption physically.

_____

Works Cited

Jackson, Lee. “Victorian London – Districts – Streets – Bluegate Fields” Dictionary of Victorian London. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

“The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891)/Chapter 11.” – Wikisource, the Free Online Library. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

Burlington Street and Arcade

~ Jordana Jampel

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In The Picture of Dorian Gray, we learn about Dorian’s mysterious family history through Lord Henry’s uncle, Lord George Fremor. As Lord Henry leaves his uncle’s house, Wilde writes, “Lord Henry passed up the low arcade into Burlington Street, and turned his steps in the direction of Berkeley Square. Upon leaving his uncle, Lord Henry tells him how he will be having lunch with Aunt Agatha’s, who seems to live in the same well-off area as Berkeley Square is in. Burlington Street, which is actually called Old Burlington Street, runs parallel to Burlington Garden, which parallel to, yet accessible through the Burlington Arcade.

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The Burlington Arcade, which was started in May 1815, serves as the entranceway for The Royal Academy of Arts, the Burlington House, and the University of London. This area is extremely well off, as we can see on the Booth Poverty Map.

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The Burlington Arcade, which is virtually the only passageway into Burlington Gardens, was one of the first confined establishment of high-end shops, as explained in the article “Burlington Arcade:”

aba-c-aba-c-aba-c-aba-d: Here ‘a’ represents a ‘double’ shop, with small display window flanked by doors and by larger display windows, and one storey visible above where one plain window is flanked by two bay windows; ‘b’ represents two smaller, separate shops, or ‘single’ shops, with one visible storey above them, where two plain windows are between two bay windows; ‘c’ is a heightened version of ‘a’ and takes the place of the ‘inter-shop’ spaces or ‘saloons’ earlier proposed, the three-storey fronts being set back from the building line; and ‘d’, between street entrance and first arch, represents one ‘single’ shop plus one double shop splayed back from the street entrance. The width of the passage at each arch is constant, some 12 feet.

Burlington Arcade was most known for its architecture and ability to house so many small shops. This is significant to Wilde’s story because it really exhibits how well off Lord Henry and Dorian Gray seem to be. Lord Henry’s route through Burlington Arcade and (Old) Burlington Street may be related to the story he just heard about Dorian’s family. Upon hearing the oddly mysterious story, Lord Henry walks toward an extremely well off area of London, which could represent Dorian Gray’s wealth, despite his obscure family history.

Works Cited

“Booth Poverty Map. Charles Booth Online Archive. London School of Economics and Political Science. Web. 27 November 2015.

‘Burlington Arcade.’ Survey of London: Volumes 31 and 32, St James Westminster, Part 2. Ed. F H W Sheppard. London: London County Council, 1963. 430-434. British History Online. Web. 27 November 2015.

Victorian Google Maps.

Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 2003. Print.

Carlton House/ The Picture of Dorian Grey/ Mike Falsetta

~ Mike

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The Carlton House. What exactly is this place? Well as far as the reader knows from what is given to us in the story, is that it is a place of many an orgy lead by Lord Beckenham. So was it just a small house that is filled with countless people having sex together? Well it may be but it has stronger significance in the story. In chapter eleven Dorian is doing a lot of looking back and thinking about things and events that have been playing out around him. He has been spending more time with the painting, seeing how it changes even though he does not. Watching it grow old and horrid as he stays clean. At some points, Dorian can’t even stand to look at his painting, other times he rejoices that it is the one growing old and ragged and he stays young and perfect.

So again what does the Carlton house have to do with Dorian or the story? It’s simple, the Carlton House wasn’t just some house. It was a palace. A palace in the north western part of London, which as we have learned is the most rich and wealthy parts of London. This is where royalty lived. On the Charles booth map you can’t really tell because for some reason it isn’t highlighted, but the picture next to it is the Carlton House. It is huge. It is a palace, hard pressed to have any blemishes. This plays a huge part in Dorian Gray. So while a reader may read over this mention of the Carlton House, a member of this class should not. We should be able to tell that this is Oscar Wilde making a direct shot at Dorian. Yes, Dorian is beautiful on the outside, not a blemish or mark to be found on him, but take a look on the inside and it is horrid and scandalous. According to this time periods rules I could only imagine how dishonorable and shunned orgies could be.

Oscar Wilde does an amazing job of throwing in subtle references to make points throughout The Picture of Dorian Gray. By adding in little snip bits of locations and references, he helps define and drive home just how terrible Dorian is. Along with that point though he proves just how powerful Dorian’s wish was in the beginning, being able to mask all of Dorian’s sins and flaws and only show them upon Basil’s painting of young Dorian. The Carlton House is just one of many likenesses to Dorian’s character. By again, it being such a wonderful highly thought of location that, behind closed doors, is filthy and riddled with guilt and sin.

Covent Gardens

Image ~ ~ Ashley Schluter ~ 1 Comment

Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End. The district is divided by Long Acre. The south part contains the central square with most of the elegant buildings, theaters and entertainment facilities.

4Covent Garden Market designed by Charles Fowler, was thought to be the central market of London. It was also thought to be the first of its size and kind. “The building consists of three distinct ranges, united at the eastern extremity by a colonnade that supports a spacious terrace, or balustraded gallery, upon which have been erected two conservatories; these are furnished with the most rare and choice productions, native and exotic, of the flower garden, and are further enlivened by a fountain, that, by a mechanical contrivance, is regulated according to the wind. This is the grand front; and faces Great Russell Street. The central range, a large and lofty avenue, is occupied by the dealers in the more expensive fruits and vegetables, and in their several seasons exhibit a grand display of hothouse and other produce of surpassing beauty and most exquisite flavour.” “Victorian London – Markets – Covent Garden. Victorian London – Markets – Covent Garden. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.
The northern side consists of shops with small dwellings. The southern side follows suit with the northern. It’s made up of vendors and small dwellings.
covent gardenCrimes committed in the area are mostly theft and larceny. However, there are a few murders documented. At first the market was solely a high class area, but as taverns became to spring up in the area the clientele base dropped.  Later on the area became a popular red light district where prostitution was a popular vice. There are reports of such behavior but little details on punishments or crime reports.
Mostly middle class and well to do in the area, some poor.
covent gardens povertyAfter leaving Sibyl in tears in chapter 7 Dorian leaves her not paying attention to where he was going. He ends up in Covent Garden.
“As the dawn was just breaking, he found himself close to Covent Garden.”
This shows he cares about Sybil, but is it Sybil or the loss of his love story he is missing? Most people realize the vain attitude in Dorian and understand that is the loss of his perfect love story and the dramatic change in Sybil’s acting that Dorian is confused and saddened by. Dorian finds himself confused and dazed by Sybil’s dramatic change while Sybil is confused by Dorian’s reaction. Both parties involved have now dealt with the blurring of the line between art and reality.
Covent Garden was the central market of London, and home to its opera house. For Dorian it’s the place that his vain and story like life meet reality. When offered cherries by a kind market boy Dorian was confused. “He thanked him, wondered why he refused to accept any money for them, and began to eat them listlessly. They had been plucked at midnight, and the coldness of the moon had entered into them.” This further tells of Dorian’s personality as kindness is foreign to him.

covent gardenCovent Garden is surrounded by theaters including Covent Garden Theater Royal opera house and is in close proximity to Lincoln Inn Fields which is located by the Royal Theater on High Holborn.

 
Works Cited
“Booth Poverty Map (Charles Booth Online Archive).” Booth Poverty Map (Charles Booth Online Archive). Web. 15 Nov. 2015.
“Covent Garden : Part 1 of 3.” Covent Garden : Part 1 of 3. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.
“The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891)/Chapter 7.” – Wikisource, the Free Online Library. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.
“The Proceedings of the Old Bailey.” Results. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.
“Victorian London – Markets – Covent Garden.” Victorian London – Markets – Covent Garden. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.

Grosvenor Square in A Picture of Dorian Gray

~ Daniela

Daniela Velez

Prof. Swafford

ENG 493-02

Final Project, Location: Grosvenor Square in A Picture of Dorian Gray

Screen Shot 2015-11-16 at 10.01.04 AMGrosvenor Square is the home Dorian Gray while he is going about being a bad boy all around the city of London. He also has a home out in the country, Selby Royal. Grosvenor Square is a very upper class area that is completely upper class/wealthy. The outlying area is also upper middle class/well-to-do.Any trace of a lower class area is barely visible and far away.

Screen Shot 2015-11-16 at 10.05.30 AMAccording to a source I found on the British History’s website, Grosvenor Square was built between 1725 and 1731. It was one of the largest upper class squares in the West end and went through many architectural changes over the next two centuries (which would bring us into the time period of Dorian Gray). It is important to note that, “The high social status of the square was nevertheless one of the constants of the estate” (Sheppard). Therefore, it would make sense why Wilde chose this setting to be the center of Dorian’s life in the city.

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The debauchery and hedonistic lifestyle Gray partakes in stands in stark contrast to what one would expect of a resident of Grosvenor Square but it also adds to his dandy/aesthetic image he maintains despite his tarnished reputation. As stated in the excerpt above, the aesthetic movement was almost embodied by Grosvenor Square. Many of the homes were testaments to excess for the sake of excess.

 

Screen Shot 2015-11-16 at 10.21.02 AMA search of the Old Bailey shows a history of robberies and some crimes around and very few in Grosvenor Square but the map that has these images only go up to 1834. A more narrowed search of the years 1875 to 1913 (the time period we are interested in for our purposes relating to the text since they come before and after the events taking place fictionally) resulted in hits that distinguish Grosvenor Square as defendant’s homes, not the actual place of crimes. There are nine robberies and one case of fraud that actually took place in Grosvenor Square during 1875-1913.

Screen Shot 2015-11-17 at 7.14.38 PMThis makes the murder Gray commits in Grosvenor Square in Chapter Thirteen and the covering up of the crime in Chapter Fourteen, all the more shocking and controversial. It would make Victorian readers question the picture perfect upper class dandy and wonder what evils may lurk in the minds of the upper classes in general. A great moment takes place in Chapter Twelve with the victim and Dorian Gray. Mr. Gray says, “In this fog, my dear Basil? Why, I can’t even recognize Grosvenor Square.” This moment emphasizes the importance of locations and reminds readers to pay attention to what a location implies and how those implications can be undermined.

 

Works Cited

“Booth Poverty Map & Modern Map (Charles Booth Online Archive).” Booth Poverty Map & Modern Map (Charles Booth Online Archive). N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.

‘Grosvenor Square: Introduction’, in Survey of London: Volume 40, the Grosvenor Estate in Mayfair, Part 2 (The Buildings), ed. F H W Sheppard (London, 1980), pp. 112-117 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol40/pt2/pp112-117 [accessed 13 November 2015].

‘Plate 28: Grosvenor Square’, in Survey of London: Volume 40, the Grosvenor Estate in Mayfair, Part 2 (The Buildings), ed. F H W Sheppard (London, 1980), http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol40/pt2/plate-28 [accessed 16 November 2015].

“The Proceedings of the Old Bailey.” Results. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.

“Victorian Google Maps Engine.” Google Maps Engine: Map View. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2015.

Hoxton Road, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Mike Falsetta

~ Mike ~ 1 Comment

mrsid2jpeg (1)

Hoxton road happens to be a very important road in the story, The Picture of Dorian Gray. This is the area in which young Sibyl committed suicide. After looking at this road in both the old bailey and charles booth sites, I am very surprised that the two didn’t correspond more. Usually when an area has a low social standing the crime rate goes way up. But here we can see the Hoxton square is mainly a poor neighborhood, but yet there was only a few robberies when I searched the old Bailey. Though maybe it makes sense to the story. Why else would a local newspaper write about some poor actress killing herself unless there wasn’t much crime in the area to report?  In a way it is interesting also, that Sibyl kills herself when in the beginning of the story, Dorian claims that HE will kill himself if he grows old.

“”Your picture has taught me that. Lord Henry Wotton is perfectly right. Youth is the only thing worth having. When I find that I am growing old, I shall kill myself.”” -The Picture of Dorian Gray Chapter 2

It is funny that in a way Dorian said he would kill himself if, basically, he (though meaning a young pretty him) ever left him, he would kill himself. It’s interesting because that is exactly why Sibyl probably killed herself. Dorian told her he never wanted to see her again. It’s also funny that her art was effected by young Dorian just as Basil’s art is effected by him.

Basil’s picture of Dorian is forever changing throughout the story due to the wish that Dorian stated in the beginning. He wanted basically him and the picture to switch places, he gave his soul for this and he gained the pictures endless youth. But in this whenever something would happen to Dorian it wouldn’t age him, but the picture. The same goes for Sibyl’s art. She was an amazing actress but than when she fell in love with Dorian she lost focus and could not act properly, she even admits to it.

“Tonight, for the first time, I became conscious that the Romeo was hideous, and old, and painted, that the moonlight in the orchard was false, that the scenery was vulgar, and that the words I had to speak were unreal, were not my words, were not what I wanted to say. You had brought me something higher, something of which all art is but a reflection. You had made me understand what love really is.” -The Picture of Dorian Gray Chapter 7

So two works of art that Dorian has proper control over. In the end also ends up being the cause of both Basil’s and Sibyl’s death. Sibyl when she commits suicide and the eventual murder of Basil. It’s funny also how the original reason Basil doesn’t want to show the picture is that he claims too much of himself. It is funny because in the end it is showing all of Dorian quite literally. All the aging of Dorian goes to the photo.

Art is a powerful medium and this story helps to prove that. When Sibyl commits suicide on Hoxton road it shows how much art can have control over someones life. Her sudden lack in the ability to act led Dorian to realize he wasn’t in love with her and him telling her that lead her to killing herself.