The Picture of Dorian Gray - is a Gothic Text?

I was initially surprised that TPDG could be interpreted as a Gothic text, because in my mind, the stereotypical Gothic text is quite dark and the characters have some obvious and freakish intentions. TPDG utilises Gothic conventions in such a way that it requires the reader to read in between the lines, to see a deeper meaning behind plain written words.




The characters from 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' on the surface seem to be amicable folk, living carefree lives in the upper classes of society, where they have plenty of spare time and money. To me, it seemed like a typical aristocratic story, and the setting was not described to a large extent. However, as I kept reading the book, it struck me that even though the text seems almost superficial, Oscar Wilde was able to create deeper meaning through description and foreshadowing, and manages to turn the mood of the book almost morbid. The reader is kept on their toes, as the supernatural and natural worlds are expertly woven together through the eloquent hand of Oscar Wilde. The more I read, the more I realised that Wilde's book was not simply a story, it was a daring and borderline silly attempt to challenge the values of Victorian society. But his masterpiece could not be told simply. 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' shows the gradual but sure descent of a young man into madness, who forged a selfish admiration for himself so strong that nothing could come between him and it. These complex ideas were expressed by Wilde through Gothic and Romantic techniques, which worked together to fuse the concepts of the real and surreal together, creating a universe that was only just believable.