Oscar Wilde as a Temporal Designer: A Case Study of The Picture of Dorian Gray

Abstract

Since the publication of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, there have been great amounts of ideological criticism both for and against the author and the work. Critics have variously evaluated the work from different perspectives; however, these studies have largely targeted the thematic aspects of the novel, while little serious attempt has been made to examine the narrativity of this great work. As a result, the narrative structure of this novel still remains quite untouched. As a partial fulfillment, the present paper has examined the temporal structure of the novel. The analysis indicated that temporality is one of the very functional elements of the work. In fact, much of the meaning or the effect the author intends to converse through each action, character, or dialogue is firstly embedded in a proper and effective temporal setting. Moreover, the analysis ascertained that the well-set temporal structure of the work has resulted in (1) Ekphrasis, (2) Characterization, and (3) Reader manipulation. According to the paper, these three elements dramatically carry out the influentiality of this great novel.