Marguerite Duras: The Lover

"Very early in my life it was too late. At eighteen it was already too late. I aged. This aging was brutal. It spread over my features, one by one. I saw this aging of my face with the same sort of interest I might have taken, for example, in the reading of a book. That new face, I kept it. It's kept the same contours, but it's like it is destroyed. I have a destroyed face."

-Thus begins The Lover

Her life experiences are written on her face, in the author's opinion, her life has destroyed her face... I see superficial parallels to Oscar Wilde's, The Portrait of Dorian Grey!

Joan of Arc and Gender

Joan of Arc was a symbol of feminist militant martyrdom and Ardor to 17th and 18th century feminists. The suffrage movement used Joan as an archetypal figure of holy and righteous militancy by women attempting to "re-inhabit the empty body of female allegory, to reclaim its meanings in behalf of the female sex." she represented the chastity, courage, and persecution of female militancy. Furthermore, Joan of Arc defied gender categories; Ironically, she transcended femininity while simultaneously representing femininity.

Sexual Anarchy

(From Notes Derived in Class on March 22nd, 2009)

Well-behaved Women rarely make history, mainly because history has notoriously supported the sight of women, rather than the sound.

In an article entitled, Sexual Anarchy, the history of women's sexuality is examined; we find (unsurprisingly) men and women had very divergent opinions regarding sexual intercourse, marriage, and feminism.

17th and 18th Century England found themselves concerned with how to provide for superfluous women in the community, (or women who continued to age without marrying.)

Few men, such as Jesse Boucherett argued that unmarried women should "engage freely in all occupations suited to their strength..."

More commonly, however, men argued that women MUST marry for personal and medical reasons. If a suitable mate could not be found in Europe, than women should be shipped to the colonies where men were abundant and women seldom. "Physicians promoted the idea that women needed sexual intercourse... as the evil results of abstinence are ESPECIALLY noticeable in women. Furthermore, Dr. Charles Taylor, an American obstetrician, warned that unmarried women needed to protect their health by finding other outlets for their 'unemployed functions' or suffer the consequences of 'disturbance and weakness'".

Naturally, Women found this diagnosis to be a crock a SH*T. Celibacy, according to feminists, was not harmful, but healthful.

Some women went on to say, "intercourse was inherently an abusive and dangerous act and sperm was a virulent poison composed of alcohol, nicotine, and venereal germs." Intercourse was necessary only for reproductive reasons and should only take place every couple of years, according to Fransis Swiney: Uber feminist.

By the turn of the century feminists and suffragist saw celibacy as a "silent strike" against oppressive relations with men.

Men responded by describing women as lesbians, angular spinsters, hysterical feminists, and members of the shrieking sister hood, etc.

It was easier for men to justify a woman's desire for emancipation as a mental unbalance rather than believe a women to be his equal.

FUN FACTS OF SEXUAL ANARCHY ARTICLE: ACCORDING TO A RECENT STUDY, "COLLEGE EDUCATED WOMEN WHO ARE STILL SINGLE AT AGE 30 HAVE ONLY A 20% CHANCE OF MARRYING. BY 35, THE CHANCE DROPS TO 5%. 40 YEAR OLD WOMEN ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE KILLED BY A TERRORISTS THAN TIE THE KNOT. (EXACT ODDS= 2.6%) YIKES!!!

The Faustian Theory as related to the Portrait of Dorian Gray...

Oscar Wilde’s infamous tale, The Portrait of Dorian Gray boasts reoccurring themes inimitable to European culture, most notoriously expounded in Faust (Latin for "auspicious" or "lucky"). The Faust legend was well known to Wilde through popular culture, it raises the question of eternal damnation due to the unpardonable sin of despondency. According to Faustian legend, the devil persuades a German necromancer and astrologer to sell his soul in exchange for all he desires, more specifically knowledge and power. Although it is unquestionably a sin for the Faustian character to craft an agreement with a demonic figure, he can escape at any moment by repenting and humbly asking for God’s forgiveness. However, the character usually believes his actions are beyond God’s forgiveness- an insult to God according to Christianity. The moral of this disastrous story is that a man’s soul is worth more than tangible objects. Furthermore, escaping the moral consequences of one’s actions is both impracticable and impossible. Oscar Wilde’s, The Portrait of Dorian Gray is comparable to the Faustian legend in many aspects.

Dorian Gray parallels a Faustian character in his quest to eternally maintain his youth and beauty. Gray is distressed that he will age while the portrait maintains its youth. “If only the reverse were true”, he says, “if only I would remain young while the portrait grows old. I would give my soul for that!” Gray’s admitted desire to escape the horrid signs of age introduces the Faust theme, which Wilde develops throughout the book. Dorian enters into a Faustian agreement as he pleads for perpetual youth while the progression of aging is restricted to the portrait.
The portrait represents Gray’s soul or personal morality. Dorian believes the portrait will relieve him from the consequences of his own immorality. Thus, unlike Faust, Gray fails to redeem himself. According to the Faust legend, Faust sold his soul for 24 years of pleasure. Faust then repents, and redeems himself through good works. Although Dorian Gray makes a desultory attempt to reform, he ultimately fails to redeem himself, and consequently destroys himself.

In The Portrait of Dorian Gray, Lord Henry is a manipulative figure. In the context of the Faust legend, if Lord Henry is not literally the devil, he undoubtedly plays the devil’s advocate by manipulating Dorian’s inexperience and leading him into a demonic contract. Lord Henry continuously coaxes Dorian to indulge in a depraved and decadent lifestyle. As Dorian’s most intimate confidant, Lord Henry’s influence decidedly impacts Dorian’s lifestyle and actions. Unfortunately, Lord Henry persuades Dorian to espouse an ideology toward life that will cost him dearly.
Although Lord Henry may not necessarily be aware of his responsibility in Dorian’s downfall, he admitingly participates in the art of manipulation and enjoys controlling people. Lord Henry maintains the role of tempter at various predicaments in Dorian's life. For example, Henry encourages Dorian to view Sibyl Vane’s death from a detached point of view, like an episode in a play. Wilde purposefully wrote Lord Henry’s character in conjunction with the Faustian Devil.
The legend of the man who sold his soul to the Devil is one of the most resilient myths in western folklore. "Faust" (and the adjective "Faustian") has taken on a subtext unlike its original, and is often used currently to depict an individual whose willful desire for self-fulfillment leads him or her in a diabolical direction. Althouh Wilde dressed up the characters in The Portrait of Dorian Gray, the Faustian context was not lost in translation. His message and moral was still unequivocally clear: a man’s soul is worth more than tangible objects. Furthermore, escaping the moral consequences of one’s actions is both impracticable and impossible.

Quotes Quotes Quotes...

Below are important

or memorable quotations listed chronologically by chapters 1-13...

The Portrait of Dorian Gray

"The reason I will not exhibit this picture is that I am afraid that I have shown in it the secret of my own soul." - chpt. 1

"How sad it is! I shall grow old, and horrid, and dreadful. But this picture will remain always young. It will never be older than this particular day of June. . . . If it was only the other way! If it was I who were to be always young, and the picture that were to grow old! For this--for this--I would give everything! Yes, there is nothing in the whole world I would not give!" - chpt. 2

"Yes; he would try to be to Dorian Gray what, without knowing it, the lad was to the painter who had fashioned the wonderful portrait. He would seek to dominate him-had already, indeed, half done so. He would make that wonderful spirit his own. There was something fascinating in this son of Love and Death." -chpt. 3

"His sudden mad love for Sibyl Vane was a psychological phenomenon of no small interest. There was no doubt that curiosity had much to do with it, curiosity and the desire for new experiences; yet it was not a simple but rather a very complex passion."- Chpt. 4

"I love Sibyl Vane. I want to place her on a pedestal of gold, and to see the world worship the woman who is mine. What is marriage? An irrevocable vow. You mock at it for that. Ah! Don't mock. It is an irrevocable vow that I want to take." -chpt. 6

"You have killed my love. You used to stir my imagination. Now you don't even stir my curiosity. You simply produce no effect. I loved you because you were marvellous, because you had genius and intellect, because you realised the dreams of great poets and gave shape and substance to the shadows of art. You have thrown it all away. You are shallow and stupid."

-chpt. 7

"It is not good for one's morals to see bad acting. Besides, I don't suppose you will want your wife to act. So what does it matter if she plays Juliet like a wooden doll? She is very lovely, and if she knows as little about life as she does about acting, she will be a delightful experience." -chpt. 7

"His unreal and selfish love would yield to some higher influence, would be transformed into some nobler passion, and the portrait that Basil Hallward had painted of him would be a guide to him through life, would be to him what holiness is to some, and conscience to others, and the fear of God to us all. There were opiates for remorse, drugs that could lull the moral sense to sleep. But here was a visible symbol of the degradation of sin. Here was an ever-present sign of the ruin men brought upon their souls." -chpt. 8

"For there would be a real pleasure in watching it. He would be able to follow his mind into its secret places. This portrait would be to him the most magical of mirrors. As it had revealed to him his own body, so it would reveal to him his own soul." -chpt. 8

"You look exactly the same wonderful boy who, day after day, used to come down to my studio to sit for his picture. But you were simple, natural, and affectionate then. You were the most unspoiled creature in the whole world. Now, I don't know what had come over you. You talk as if you had no heart, no pity in you. It is all Harry's influence, I see that." -chpt. 9

"There were moments when he looked on evil simply as a mode through which he could realise his conception of the beautiful." -chpt. 11

"What is it that one was taught to say in one's boyhood? 'Lead us not into temptation. Forgive us our sins. Wash away our iniquities.' Let us say that together. The prayer of your pride has bee answered. The prayer of your repentance will be answered also. I worshipped you too much. I am punished for it. You worshipped yourself too much. We are both punished." -Chpt. 13

Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde claimed that most people believed he was most similar to Lord Henry Wotton (clever, humorous, and controlling), however, the author personally believed he was actually more similar to Basil (a creative artist who was considerably less secure than what was publicly perceived). However, the author actually yearned to be more like Dorian Gray, as he admired both youth and beauty.

Oscar Wilde---------->

The portrait of Dorian Gray

Characters:

Lord Henry Wotton: confident and manipulative, commands presence. As he speaks with Basil in the first chapter he picks a daisy and later pulls it apart: symbolic action depicting Wotton as a destroyer of beauty and one who take joy in manipulating.

Basil: Secretive and artistic. Fairly odd but endearing. Basil is attracted to Dorian Gray both professionally and personally and wants to keep him all to himself. Basil becomes dependent on Dorian for his art as his muse, yet claims he is independent.

Dorian: Charming and fickle, full of youth and innocense. Irrational, passionate, and tragic. Physical beauty is more important to his character than any other attribute. When describing Dorian, Basil says, "he is horribly thoughtless and seems to take a real delight in giving me pain." This discription of Dorian links him with Lord Henry Wotton as a manipulator... perhaps foreshadowing a close relationship.

The Portrait: The portrait is introduced practically as its own character. In chpt. 2 Basil speaks about destroying the painting, but does not because Dorian says, "it would be murder." Again, they are treating the portrait like a human... and forshadowing future events.