"What happens in Oscar Wilde's bedroom stays in Oscar
"...unless it happens on the stage, and then we call it
"To reveal art, and to conceal the artist, is the
artist's aim." - Oscar Wilde
Dorian Gray? He's young. He's rich. He's beautiful. Lord Henry says those are
the best and most important things.
also has a portrait of himself - a portrait that absorbs the impact of all his
sins. As Dorian takes his first steps into a life of exploitation and hedonism,
his portrait ages and decays, while Dorian's beautiful face remains the same.
of life does this create?
in real life, Joel Sommer, is a Portland poet, writer, tennis and tai chi
enthusiast. A gentle and wise soul, and my co-host for this series. Together we
plunge into Oscar Wilde's classic, to see what we can learn about our own
once confronted with themes of
longs to be accepted as more than just the object of someone else's obsession.
He is led to believe that his only value is his youth and beauty, and thus
begins to despair when he considers how quickly it will pass away.
moral of the story? No selfies!
wonder, what is our relationship to our own visage? What is our
relationship to our age? To our aging process? How does it affect our lives to
avoid and deny death, rather to embrace and calmly prepare for it?
what is the arbiter of truth? Is it my own perspective, or is there anything
world like where virtue is scorned, and pleasure is exalted?
in the story are vapid gossipers. They give Dorian nothing really worthwhile to
aspire after. No wonder he doesn't want to grow old.
becomes a novelty seeker...which is essentially falling into addiction,
probably to escape the ravages of despair.
Dorian discovers the power of his portrait(will it be a gift or a curse?) we
talk about authenticity. Moses reflects on "path of least resistance"
personas, and Joel reflects on social media avatars. We suggest the listener go
find something ugly to contemplate, then get off social media.
Journey is a community of readers in search of good stories that help us grow
into excellent people. We save you time by saving you from bad literature. If
you enjoy this kind of conversation, please join our community at
patreon.com/mosesbernabe. Follow for more updates on instagram @mosesbernabe
and on facebook in the Word and Journey Discussion Group
Joel shares his poetry on instagram @joelhere. You can
follow him there and be greatly enriched!
#novels #books #stories #writing #reading #classics
#doriangray #oscarwilde #hedonism #aging #portrait #spirituality #orthodoxy
#orthodoxchristian #existentialism #nihilism #pleasure #novelty #addiction