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Definition of Irony
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how they actually are. If this seems like a loose definition... read full definition
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how they actually are. If this... read full definition
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how... read full definition
Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—Classical Allusion:
In Chapter 1, when Lord Henry first introduces Dorian, and the reader, to his take on hedonism, he references the ancient Hellenic, or Greek, world:
I believe that the world would gain such a fresh impulse of joy that we would forget all the maladies of mediaevalism, and return to the Hellenic ideal—to something finer, richer than the Hellenic ideal, it may be.
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Chapter 2
Explanation and Analysis—Lord Henry's Influence:
When Lord Henry first introduces his hedonistic philosophy to Dorian, while he sits for his portrait, Basil warns Dorian not to listen to Henry’s words and Dorian himself questions whether such self-serving ideation is a bad influence upon him. In a moment of irony, Henry responds,
Unlock with LitCharts A+There is no such thing as a good influence, Mr. Gray. All influence is immoral—immoral from the scientific point of view.
Related Themes:
Explanation and Analysis—Classical Allusion:
In Chapter 1, when Lord Henry first introduces Dorian, and the reader, to his take on hedonism, he references the ancient Hellenic, or Greek, world:
Unlock with LitCharts A+I believe that the world would gain such a fresh impulse of joy that we would forget all the maladies of mediaevalism, and return to the Hellenic ideal—to something finer, richer than the Hellenic ideal, it may be.
Related Themes:
Chapter 19
Explanation and Analysis—Basil's Murder:
Works of Gothic fiction often have no shortage of suspense, and this is certainly the case in The Portrait of Dorian Gray as the titular character grows increasingly erratic and unhinged. As a classic method to build tension in the reader and whisk the narrative toward its climactic finish, Wilde employs dramatic irony to keep things interesting in the aftermath of Basil’s murder by Dorian’s hand.
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Chapter 20
Explanation and Analysis—Dorian's Death:
At the very end of The Portrait of Dorian Gray, as Dorian Gray lies dead on his floor, Oscar Wilde crafts a final moment of irony to close out the story:
Unlock with LitCharts A+When they entered, they found hanging upon the wall a splendid portrait of their master as they had last seen him, in all the wonder of his exquisite youth and beauty. Lying on the floor was a dead man, in evening dress, with a knife in his heart. He was withered, wrinkled, and loathsome of visage. It was not till they had examined the rings that they recognized who it was.
Related Themes:
