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Hyperbole
Definition of Imagery
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines from Robert Frost's poem "After Apple-Picking" contain imagery that engages... read full definition
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines from Robert Frost's poem "After... read full definition
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines... read full definition
Key Examples in The Picture of Dorian Gray
Chapter 3
Explanation and Analysis—The Color White:
The color white is used by Wilde throughout The Picture of Dorian Gray to signify purity and innocence, particularly in contrast to (or to complement) the color red. Dorian himself is often characterized by his whiteness, as in Chapter 3:
Grace was his, and the white purity of boyhood, and beauty such as old Greek marbles kept for us. There was nothing that one could not do with him. He could be made a Titan or a toy. What a pity it was that such beauty was destined to fade!
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—The Color Red :
Throughout The Portrait of Dorian Gray, Wilde uses the color red—frequently in juxtaposition with the color white—as a potent source of visual imagery. When Wilde first acquaints the reader with Dorian Gray, Lord Henry is quick to note the titular character’s “rose-red” youth (and, further, a “rose-white” boyhood). Where whiteness might here symbolize purity, redness symbolizes vigor—perhaps evoking the lifeblood that courses through Dorian’s veins and gives him such incredible beauty. As is the case with other instances of Wilde’s use of flowers, however, the red rose of Dorian’s youth is liable to fade as he ages; this, it will turn out, constitutes the central terror of Dorian’s existence and the reason for his fatal pact with his painting.
Related Themes:
Chapter 4
Explanation and Analysis—The Color Red :
Throughout The Portrait of Dorian Gray, Wilde uses the color red—frequently in juxtaposition with the color white—as a potent source of visual imagery. When Wilde first acquaints the reader with Dorian Gray, Lord Henry is quick to note the titular character’s “rose-red” youth (and, further, a “rose-white” boyhood). Where whiteness might here symbolize purity, redness symbolizes vigor—perhaps evoking the lifeblood that courses through Dorian’s veins and gives him such incredible beauty. As is the case with other instances of Wilde’s use of flowers, however, the red rose of Dorian’s youth is liable to fade as he ages; this, it will turn out, constitutes the central terror of Dorian’s existence and the reason for his fatal pact with his painting.
Related Themes:
Chapter 7
Explanation and Analysis—The Color White:
The color white is used by Wilde throughout The Picture of Dorian Gray to signify purity and innocence, particularly in contrast to (or to complement) the color red. Dorian himself is often characterized by his whiteness, as in Chapter 3:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Grace was his, and the white purity of boyhood, and beauty such as old Greek marbles kept for us. There was nothing that one could not do with him. He could be made a Titan or a toy. What a pity it was that such beauty was destined to fade!
Related Themes:
Chapter 20
Explanation and Analysis—The Color Red :
Throughout The Portrait of Dorian Gray, Wilde uses the color red—frequently in juxtaposition with the color white—as a potent source of visual imagery. When Wilde first acquaints the reader with Dorian Gray, Lord Henry is quick to note the titular character’s “rose-red” youth (and, further, a “rose-white” boyhood). Where whiteness might here symbolize purity, redness symbolizes vigor—perhaps evoking the lifeblood that courses through Dorian’s veins and gives him such incredible beauty. As is the case with other instances of Wilde’s use of flowers, however, the red rose of Dorian’s youth is liable to fade as he ages; this, it will turn out, constitutes the central terror of Dorian’s existence and the reason for his fatal pact with his painting.
Related Themes:
