Key Issue Four: the monster and the monstrous in Gothic Writing (Achille / Sorcadh / Augustin)

Monster and monstrous

The word ‘monster’ means ugliness, irrationality and unnatural events. It is the opposite of neo-classical values of harmony and unified composition. 

During the eighteenth century, the world became better known through scientific studies and experimentations, thus monsters disappeared from studies of nature and medicine step by step.

Monster and monstrous in Gothic literature

However, at the same time, they were becoming popular in the Gothic genre, which was starting at that time. This genre portrayed monsters and monstrous characters, and focussed on their deformity and irregularity.

It involved works that crossed the boundaries of reason and morality, presenting excessive and viciously improper scenes and characters. Gothic literature needed negative and socially unacceptable features: the use of monsters and the use of the notion of monstrosity permitted Gothic authors to darken the atmosphere of their novels, while bringing fantasy.

The Gothic monsters and monstrous characters are often employed as archetypal villains, but the characterisation of monstrosity, of how the otherness of each villain is personified, is different in each text.

Monsters were also used to personify the fears of society.

For example, the fear of what happens when science goes too far in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, or the fear of the demons within ourselves, such as in The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde. 

Link with Dorian Gray

In the Picture of Dorian Gray, the theme of monster and monstrosity is very present. Some may say that this aspect is only present in Dorian Gray’s personality and actions, but it is also present in Lord Henry’s traits. Indeed, Dorian’s actions are determined by a philosophy Lord Henry has transmitted him: hedonism.

Hedonism is the reason why the two of them get so well along. Throughout the novel, the painting represents monstrosity, as the painting is slowly showing the dark sides of Dorian Gray.

Later in the book, the fact that Dorian becomes this killing monster is another aspect of this theme.  Another aspect of monster and monstrosity is the possible love between men that is present in Oscar’s Wilde novel, as at the time it was published, this was not accepted by society. 

Closing Comments on Dorian Gray (May 2022)

Link with Dorian Gray:

In the Picture of Dorian Gray, the theme of monster and monstrosity is more and more present throughout the novel. 

First of all, this theme of monster and monstrosity is shown by the possible love between men that is present in Oscar’s Wilde novel. There is, especially in the first chapters, an ambiguity between Basil and Dorian. It can be seen as a trait of monstrosity as at the time it was published, this was not accepted by society.

Some may say that this aspect is only in Dorian Gray’s personality and actions, but it is also present in Lord Henry’s traits. Lord Henry never gets affected in the whole book, thus seems to be very rational. However, staying impassive while crimes happen or while a friend moves to another country (Basil moves to Paris in chapter 12) reveals a lack of empathy, which is very unusual to humans. It brings the reader to question Lors Henry’s real nature.

 

From the beginning of the book, he appears as a strange character as he immediately poisons Dorian with his ideas, while Basil tries to keep Dorian normal. Furthermore, Lord Henry’s influence over Dorian will significantly grow when he lends Dorian a decadent “yellow” book, which facilitates Dorian’s downfall and his transformation into a monstrous and unempathic creature. 

Yet, although Lord Henry and Dorian are both unsensible to everything, Dorian is the only one to provoke murders, therefore the only one to stand up as a monster.

Indeed, Dorian’s actions are determined by a philosophy Lord Henry has transmitted to him: hedonism. This is the reason why the two of them get so well along. Throughout the novel, the painting represents the monstrosity as the painting is slowly showing the dark sides of Dorian Gray. 

Later in the book, the fact that Dorian became this killing monster is another aspect of this theme. In chapter 8, he provoked the suicide of Sibyl and went even further in chapter 14.  In that chapter, he kills his friend Basil himself, which allows the readers to understand that there is no more doubt, he became a monster. Indeed, it could be argued that when Sibyl stabbed herself, Dorian was not the only responsible, she was simply living in a fairy tale. Nonetheless, killing Basil was clearly a step forward in his monstrosity.

In addition, killing Basil did not pain him, it even basically did not affect him at all: “The man had to touch him twice on the shoulder before he woke, and as he opened his eyes a faint smile passed across his lips, as though he had been lost in some delightful dream. Yet he had not dreamed at all. His night had been untroubled by any images of pleasure or of pain. But youth smiles without any reason. It is one of its chiefest charms” (Chapter 14, Page 155). Following the murder of Basil, Dorian has slept in a peacefull oblivion. This allows the readers to witness Dorian’s utter selfishness and the way that he is unbothered by his taking of another man’s life. This shows that there is no more inch of good in Dorian’s soul, his monstrosity has taken upon his entire soul.