“While much of the uproar was directed at the homosexuality of not only themes in the novel but Oscar Wilde himself, there was also a stir over the immoral influences. Many attempted to argue that the acts encouraged by Lord Henry were damaging to those who read the horrifying story of young Dorian Gray. Oscar Wilde’s response to those who saw “corrupting influences” in The Picture of Dorian Gray was that there is, in fact, “a terrible moral in Dorian Gray.” The aesthetic movement that Wilde led and its clash with living a “moral life” shown in the novel haunted Oscar Wilde for years. After the release of this story in 1890, Wilde was brought to trial in 1895. This specific work of his was used against him in court. The moral dilemmas there were written were in direct conflict with societal rules. Wilde used The Picture of Dorian Gray as his autobiography claiming, “Basil Hallward is what I think I am: Lord Henry what the world thinks me: Dorian what I would like to be- in other ages perhaps.” Not only was this book banned because of the sexual undertones, it eventually helped send Wilde to a couple of years of imprisonment.”
-Dangerous Books
Many people were scared by the messages and undertones presented in Dorian Gray. This is very ironic and kind of humorous since Oscar Wilde gave society the same type of reaction over the acts of Dorian Gray in his book. We once again see the great pressures that Victorian society put on people. Oscar Wilde was imprisoned for including “homoerotic undertones” in his book. This shows how much artists and authors and such had to worry about not only how they interpreted their works, but how society did too, since if they did not approve of an aspect of it, it could lead to many problems for the author.
