Picture of Dorian Gray

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.

Screen Shot 2015-11-16 at 10.25.15 AM

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.