Dorian Gray Preface

Oscar Wilde’s Preface to The Picture of Dorian Gray considers the logic of aesthetic philosophy. Aesthetic philosophy is the idea that beauty, particularly art, should be embraced in every way. Wilde believes that the purpose of art is to be beautiful, and “To reveal art and conceal the artist is art’s aim” (Wilde vii). Art does not reflect the artist; instead, art should be as distant from the reality of the artist’s life as possible. Reality seems to be the antithesis of art. Wilde further tries to distance art and reality, saying, “Art is at once surface and symbol. Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril. Those who read the symbol do so at their peril” (vii). One loses his appreciation for the beauty of art when he tries to connect it to life. However, art does symbolically represent something, for it “is at once […] symbol.” In the end, Wilde concludes, “All art is quite useless” (viii). Something that is useful cannot be art, and therefore cannot be beautiful. Something is only beautiful if the only function it serves is to be beautiful. There is a paradoxical nature to his description of this philosophy, for art seems to serve a purpose even if the only purpose it serves is to represent beauty.

Wilde’s tone toward his audience is somewhat playful but simultaneously superior as he describes the nature of art in the Preface. Wilde seems to enjoy the idea of ensnaring the reader into his paradoxical mind traps. He has no qualms about proposing rather unconventional ideas, such as “There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all” (vii). Some readers are sure to disagree with not only his statement but also the manner in which he expresses it. Often people consider the primary function of books to be some example or explanation of morality. To further frustrate the reader, Wilde does not defend his claim. He just leaves his statement and moves on. The reader wants him to justify it so that there is something to contradict or grasp onto. Instead, Wilde leaves the readers to figure out his logic, forcing them to generate his own idea. The use of “That is all” just adds to the superiority of his tone. He seems to be toying with the reader as he identifies paradoxes within society. For instance, he comments, “The nineteenth century dislike of Realism is the rage of Caliban seeing his own face in a glass. The nineteenth century dislike of Romanticism is the rage of Caliban not seeing his own face in a glass” (vii). People dislike the fact that Realism shows harsh and sometimes ugly reality, yet they dislike that Romanticism ignores the true nature of things. Wilde does not equivocate in his writing; he is very straightforward with his ideas even if these ideas are difficult for the reader to understand.