Theme Of Sexual Dissonance In The Picture Of Dorian Gray

A Picture of Sexual Fluidity Oscar Wilde was a figurehead for a larger cause in the late nineteenth century. His reality crumbled under the cognitive dissonance of the high-class aristocrats and their struggle to find any reason to overthrow those who are cognizant enough to see and react to said dissonance. What are best known as the Wilde trials, consisted of using completely fictional literature as evidence to real events. Wilde’s novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray was a tool used to undermine Wilde’s authority and testimony about his personal romantic encounters. While the book may hold status as a revolutionary novel about exploring ideas, the Victorians did not think as much once they took a closer look. Once a popular novel about†¦show more content†¦He was slightly ahead of his time. Those deciding his court case were stuck in the century’s previous historical and religious beliefs while â€Å"Wilde seem[ed] to stand more obviously at the beginning of a peculiarly modern sen se of personal identity as a form of political affiliation, rather than at the back end of the Victorian era† (Joyce, p 513). Wilde stood trial for going against the public norm. His homosexual behaviors were seen as deviant and aberrant. Why would he want anything outside of his marriage and children? How could anyone want more than that? The societal standards of the Victorian era perceived these questions as objective. However, this case was a rare display of the full force of the English government trial system taking place. Rarely were individuals convicted of this crime (between 8-12 a year in the 1840’s) and most were not high-class citizens. â€Å"Wilde was the darling of London society† before his arrest. It was common knowledge that he was a sexually fluid person (Adut, 214). The Picture of Dorian Gray was a widely well liked novel before Wilde’s arrest and not until later was it seen as a deviant work filled with homosexuality, or better known during that time as homophilia. Londoners knew of Wilde’s proclivity for years, however they only rejected his presence once this information was seen as negative in the news. Wilde’s transgression was a normal aspect of Victorian underground culture. This court case was the very definition of a