Summary
and
Analysis
Chapter 3
Summary
It's 12:30 p.m., and Lord Henry Wotton is on his way to his uncle's mansion. Lord Fermor had worked as a secretary to his father, an ambassador to Madrid, when he was younger. When his father was denied the position of ambassador to Paris, he resigned in a rage, and Lord Fermor followed suit. Lord Fermor had committed the rest of his life to " to the serious study of the great aristocratic art of doing absolutely nothing." He speculates on the Midland coal mines.
Lord Henry is paying him a visit to learn more about Dorian Gray's parents. He is not listed in the Bluebooks (records of English nobility), although he is Kelso's grandson, and his mother was Lady Margaret Devereux, an outstanding beauty of her time. She married a poor man, upsetting everyone in the process. Her spouse was slain in a duel set up by her father not long after. She was expecting a child. She died during childbirth, leaving Dorian to grow up with his harsh grandfather.
Lord Henry departs from his uncle's residence for lunch at his aunt's. He becomes absorbed in his thoughts on Dorian Gray's past. He resolves to control Dorian in the same way that Dorian controls Basil Hallward.
When he arrives at his aunt's, he is relieved to see Dorian at the table. He begins to entertain his aunt's visitors with his hedonistic life philosophy. He scorns the philanthropic motivations that his aunt and most of her visitors promote, instead praising the benefits of the pursuit of pleasure for its own sake. He is thrilled to witness Dorian's interest in his words. In fact, all of his aunt's guests are, and he receives multiple invitations.
He says he'll go for a walk in the park after lunch. Dorian invites him along and begs him to continue chatting. Lord Henry says he is done talking and just wants to be and enjoy himself. Dorian still wants to come. Lord Henry reminds him that he has a rendezvous with Basil Hallward. Dorian doesn't mind if he breaks it.
Notes
The third component of the triangular relationship between Basil Hallward, Dorian Gray, and Lord Henry is thoroughly established in this chapter. Lord Henry makes the decision to control Dorian Gray in the same way that Dorian Gray controls Basil Hallward. This realization outlines the chapter. It starts with Lord Henry walking to his aunt Agatha's house for lunch, knowing he will find Dorian Gray there. On that walk, he resolves to exert his considerable influence over Dorian.
Lord Henry charms everyone there at the lunch with his Hedonistic ideology, even those who are ardent supporters of philanthropy. He exerts his influence on them all in order to influence Dorian Gray. The strategy is effective. Dorian begs to accompany him on his walk through the park at the end of lunch. He'll will ignore Basil Hallward, with whom he has a meeting.
The reader may be perplexed by the criticism poured on philanthropic activity in this chapter. It's helpful to look at nineteenth-century history to see what Oscar Wilde is responding to in this attack against philanthropy.
For many years, England ruled the world, invading countries like India, Africa, and China and conquering them, establishing colonial administrations, and enslaving or subjugating their people.
The British Empire began to wane at the end of the nineteenth century. Colonized populations successfully revolted, and England began to withdraw from these other territories.
Colonization had long been done in search of raw materials, cheap labour, and land, but outright robbery of other countries and peoples contradicted England's image of itself as a Christian nation. As a result, it required a moral justification for invading other countries. That rationale manifested itself as a sense of moral superiority. By bringing them the light of a greater civilization, including a superior faith, the English were doing these colonized people a favour.
At the same time that justification was being constructed, people in England's streets were starving. The colonists recognized the importance of "helping" those at home as well as "helping" those overseas. As a result, charitable organisations emerged in the late nineteenth century. Oscar Wilde was fully aware of the hypocrisy at the heart of most of his time's philanthropy: employees were cruelly exploited, allowing exquisite dinners to be put on for their benefit. The poor stayed poor, but the wealthy felt less guilty.
Chapter 4
Summary
Dorian Gray is still waiting for Lord Henry to return home one month later. He is impatient since he has been waiting for a long time. Lord Henry's wife enters and they talk about music for a time. She realizes that he, like many people in her social circle, repeats her husband's opinions. Lord Henry comes, followed by his wife. Dorian claims he is too in love to consider marriage when Henry tells him not to. He has feelings for an actress. He regards her as a “genius”.
Lord Henry emphasizes that women are not geniuses since they are merely meant to be decorative. He goes on to say that there are only two kinds of women: “plain” and “coloured”. “Plain ladies” are good for respectability, but “coloured women” are good for seducing males. Dorian claims that Lord Henry's ideas frighten him. Lord Henry presses him to reveal more information about the actress.
Dorian claims that for days after meeting Lord Henry, he felt alive with excitement and a strong desire to travel the world. He strolled the streets, peering into people's faces to learn about their lives. He decided to go on an adventure one night. He was going down the street when he was called to enter a second-rate theatre. Despite his dislike for the caller, he went in and purchased a box seat.
Romeo and Juliet was the title of the play. He despised everything until Juliet appeared on stage, at which point he became enthralled. He has gone to the theatre every night since that night. On the third night, he met her and found her to be delightfully naive.
He wants Lord Henry and Basil Hallward to pay her a visit the next evening. His idea is to pay off her manager and install her in a good theatre. Lord Henry asks him to supper that night, but he declines because he needs to see her perform Imogen. He departs.
Lord Henry mulls over what he's discovered. He considers Dorian Gray to be a worthwhile study. He enjoys studying people in the same way that a scientist observes the results of an experiment. He considers Dorian to be his own creation. He had instilled his beliefs in Dorian, making him a self-conscious individual.
Literature may do that to people, but so could a powerful personality like him. As he mulls over his thoughts, he is interrupted by his servant, who reminds him that it is time to get dressed for supper. When he gets home that night, he finds a telegram on the hall table announcing Dorian Gray's marriage to Sibyl Vane.
Notes
A month later, Dorian and Lord Henry's relationship has progressed exactly as Lord Henry had hoped. Dorian has avoided Basil Hallward and has become an acolyte of Lord Henry, quoting him in everything and consulting him on all his decisions. Lord Henry is an observer. He is preparing Dorian Gray with what he considers premature information, so that Dorian will experience his youth fully aware that it is vanishing daily.
He realizes that Dorian will burn out, but he doesn't seem to care. He isn't envious of Dorian's newfound love for Sibyl Vane. It adds to his enjoyment as an observer. He considers himself to be a social scientist.
This chapter highlights the late Victorians' intolerance, as articulated by Lord Henry regarding women's lesser status as human beings and by Dorian Gray about the vileness of Jews.
