‘The novel’s contrasting settings portray a gulf between social classes in Victorian society.’ How far and in what ways do you agree with this view of The Picture of Dorian Gray?
The novel’s contrasting settings do portray a gulf between social classes in Victorian society but also represents the dualism in The Picture Of Dorian Gray. Wilde specifically chooses to pick two opposite settings, the East End and the West End, and ignores the middle class areas of London. This is due to the suggestion that Wilde wanted to convey class indifference explicitly and clearly in the novel, but also the double aspects of Dorian and his life.
Dorian comes from the West End of London, living in a very wealthy and prestigious “Grosvenor Square”, the wealth in the glamorous side of London is explicitly different to the “foul” East End, with its “grisly prostitutes, drunken brawls, and opium dens”. These two contrasting settings are very interesting as Dorian, a wealthy man likes to spend his time in the “darkest” London. Not only is Wilde portraying the gulf between these two social classes, he is representing Dorian; the glamorous West End acts as a mask for Dorian, whereas the “evil” East End is a true representation of the real Dorian Gray and his true nature. However the rest of high Victorian society would not tolerate such visits Dorian went on and Dorian would fact social ostrication, however as long as immorality was hidden it was fine. Rita Felski suggests that this portrays the “crass vulgarity of modern bourgeois society”.
The specific places in the novel help portray a gulf between social classes. One example is Lord Henry’s “exquisite” Library at his mayfair home, with its “blue tinned china”, “olive stained oak”, and beautiful “persian rugs”. Wilde’s detailed description of the library is not only there for imagery but also to portray the vast options available