The Picture of Dorian Gray – as a Gothic Novel

The term ‘Gothic’ is highly amorphous and open to diverse interpretations. It is suggestive of an uncanny atmosphere of wilderness, gloom and horror based on the supernatural. The weird and eerie atmosphere of the Gothic fiction was derived from the Gothic architecture: castles, cathedrals, forts and monasteries with labyrinths of dark corridors, cellars and tunnels which evoked the feelings of horror, wilderness, gloom and suspense. The haunted castles with secret passages, vaults and dark galleries full of terrible howling wind, which caused thunderous noises of a mysterious nature aroused fear and terror in the minds of the readers as if they were trapped within a graveyard. 

         The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde, can in some ways be considered a classic gothic novel. The elements of gothic genre is often visible in the novel. For example, When Dorian attempts to visit the opium den to get rid of Basil’s body, we can clearly see an example of mysterious nature — cold rain began to fall, and the blurred street-lamps looked ghastly in the dripping mist. The public-houses were just closing, and from some of the bars came the sound of horrible laughter. Another eerie environment is the secret room in which the yellow book is locked. The room contains old books, mice, faded tapestries, and an odd smell of mildew. Most people would not prefer to be in such a setting because it is often spooky and leads to death.

             Throughout the story, the most obvious example of a Gothic novel is the use of the devil as a symbol. Lord Henry represents the devil by using his wisdom and the poisonous yellow book to corrupt Dorian, who loses his innocence and later becomes a murderer. Unknowingly, Dorian sells his soul to the devil. However, he eventually wants to be normal again, but fails, and receives his punishment: death.  

        In most Gothic novels, science is used for a bad purpose, and it is seen when Dorian blackmails Alan Campbell, a scientist, into dissolving Basil’s dead body. His equipment is described as “a large mahogany chest of chemicals.”

        Lastly, supernatural elements are clearly present in the novel. Often the events are quite unexplainable. In this case, it is simply impossible for a picture to change by itself, as it is for Dorian to stay youthful forever. Despite the facts, these things somehow happen anyways. Furthermore, Dorian dies and his dead body instantly becomes old, while the picture returns to its original state. Finally, from the above discussion, we can definitely label The Picture of Dorian Gray as a classic gothic novel.