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A Picture of Dorian Gray THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY-GUIDELINES Composed by Fathima Rassack-Drakensberg Secondary 2019 Table of Contents Preamble ................................................................................................................................................. 2 Pictures in Dorian Gray ............................................................................................................................ 3 The Picture of Dorian Gray; A mirror of the Victorian Era, era of hypocrisy .......................................... 5 Oscar Wilde-The author .......................................................................................................................... 8 Key Concepts: .......................................................................................................................................... 9 Analysing the Plot: ................................................................................................................................. 10 Flowchart depicting the events of each chapter ................................................................................... 12 Characters in Dorian Gray ..................................................................................................................... 15 Themes in Dorian Gray .......................................................................................................................... 18 The Purpose of Art ............................................................................................................................ 18 The Supremacy of Youth and Beauty ................................................................................................ 19 The Superficial Nature of Society ...................................................................................................... 19 The Negative Consequences of Influence ......................................................................................... 19 Notes on Aestheticism .......................................................................................................................... 20 Sample Essay: ........................................................................................................................................ 22 What role does Sibyl Vane play in The Portrait of Dorian Gray? ...................................................... 22 Essay: The Picture of Dorian Gray: Corruption Through Aestheticism ............................................. 23 Symbolism in Dorian Gray ..................................................................................................................... 25 The Yellow Book ................................................................................................................................ 25 The Portrait: ...................................................................................................................................... 25 Sex, Drugs and the Opera .................................................................................................................. 26 Areas to Focus on in each chapter (Suggested) .................................................................................... 27 Points to Note when Teaching the Novel-FF RASSACK-DRAKENSBERG SECONDARY ........................... 32 When teaching the literature essay: ................................................................................................. 32 Mind Maps-FF Rassack .......................................................................................................................... 33 Important Relationships Between Dorian Gray And - ........................................................................... 36 Points to Note........................................................................................................................................ 38 The Theme of Art:.............................................................................................................................. 38 Influence: ........................................................................................................................................... 38 1 Preamble “The Picture of Dorian Gray” is a novel that has been prescribed as a literature set work for the NSC Grade 12 examination since 2017.Many educators have found that access of the text seems daunting due to the style, setting, and the complex language of the novel. As compared to previous set works (like Animal Farm), the novel seems more complicated and learners, especially those who struggle with the language are perplexed and cannot relate to the themes and era in which the novel is set. However, upon careful analysis, the novel is a beautiful reflection of humanity in the current century and the underlying prejudices, hypocrisy and immorality which plague society even decades after it was published. The following guide aims to highlight the key issues in the novel and provide an overview of characters, motifs, and themes of the novel. Further, I have compiled a few points on approaching the novel differently in terms of teaching, as opposed to a mere verbatim reading of the novel. To use the notes and worksheets provided, it is important that the concepts are taught and enforced, as it would be futile as a mere handout without the learner fully comprehending the ideas presented. An example of this would be establishing the appreciation of artistic value to learners who thoroughly assert that art is not applicable to their existence. This is vital before the word AESTHETICISM is even mentioned in a lesson. One would be required to draw on an appreciation of the arts and the different forms and genres to instil a sense of appreciation of the arts to the learner who may not, hypothetically speaking, necessarily identify with the notion of why any reasonable man would attend an opera willingly. Personally, I always believe that a learner will excel at studying a novel once they FEEL the novel. Therefore, the strategies and approach employed by the educator is essential .At all times ,we need the candidate to have an in-depth understanding of the intricacies of the novel, be able to evaluate, synthesise and demonstrate critical thinking skills .Skim reading in class and a surface knowledge of the plot is a tragic recipe for disaster ,as this does not cater for the more cognitively challenging questions. As a result -year in and year out, the NSC diagnostic reports repeat the complaint of learners lacking a deeper insight of the novel and subsequently performing poorly in the novel section of the literature paper. Hence ,it is crucial that we employ other methods and approaches to analysing texts, perhaps eliminating a drone-reading session of the novel .We should rather focus on creating a love for the issues which constitute the basis of the novel, hone argumentative approaches to these, and also encourage learners to formulate a sense of critical judgement of characters. This would eradicate learners merely stating facts that they have recollected from guides and sometimes not engaging directly with the question. I trust and hope that this composition is of some form of assistance to guide you and ultimately will be of benefit to the learner. 2 Pictures in Dorian Gray Understanding a novel means that a learner must visualise the time, era and the setting of the novel. Below, I have included some pictures which may allow learners to ‘see’ what London society and The Victorian era were all about. THE OPIUM DENS # Chapter 16 of the novel *Represents the darkness and evil which Dorian tries to find an escape from. *A contrast to the aesthetic beauty which he is surrounded by in his aristocratic luxurious home. **Serves as a reflection of Dorian’s inner reality 3 4 The Picture of Dorian Gray; A mirror of the Victorian Era, era of hypocrisy Standard The Victorian Image, to most people, is a gray period, colourless, with strict moral conducts restraining liberal behaviour. Yet, the Victorian era was also the time when sensationalism blossomed in cheap newspapers, and when Jack the Ripper was active. These conflicting realities point to a complex society, a society of hypocrisy. Caption: A gray period. One of the best ways to analyze a past society is to examine the literature of the time. Literature reflects the social situation of the society then. During the Victorian era, Gothic literature became popular. Gothic literature explores the darkest corners of human nature. Gothic literature explores the darkest corners of human nature, revealing criminal tendencies, and dark passions of seemingly normal people. One Gothic novel is ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’. The Victorian era was an era of Covers. Your ‘reputation’ became the primary interest of an average person. As Basil Hallward puts it “every gentleman is interested in his good name.” The Victorian Era was when the image of the ‘English Gentleman” was formed. As people, most notably, gentlemen, began to care more about their reputation, hypocrisy was spawned. People, began to hide their dark desires, and their misdeeds, while presenting a respectable face to the public. Sexuality was deemed ‘unhealthy’ during the Victorian Era. Many doctors wrote about the ‘health hazards’ of excessive sexuality. Many different devices were designed in order to impede sexual impulses. Thus, Prostitutes, Masturbators, and homosexuals emerged as social ‘problems’ Caption: Devices designed to stop masturbation However, sexuality was prevalent, much more
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