Unit 1: Look at Me Now! (2nde_gr2)

 A Young Man’s Portrait

The document under study is an extract of a novel entitled “The Picture of Dorian Gray”, written by Oscar Wilde in 1891. It is about Dorian Gray, a narcissistic young man who lives in London.

In this extract, there are three characters: Lord Henry who is a friend of Dorian, Dorian himself, eponymous protagonist who is discovering his portrait painted by Basil Hallward. They are in Hallward studio to discover his artwork.

Upon seeing/once he sees his portrait, Dorian seems to love it. Lord Henry is also impressed by this piece of art. It is as if he is discovering his beauty and he seems to fall in love with himself. Nevertheless, he understands he is not going to be young and handsome for his whole life, he is going to get old and get wrinkled. Indeed, this painting makes him aware of his own mortality as a human being.

Homework: Learn the lesson.