Decadentismo e esteticismo em “O retrato de Dorian Gray” : a arte e a literatura como instrumentos de subversão social na Era Vitoriana

Abstract

The text presents a detailed academic analysis of The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde, using the work as a lens to examine late nineteenth-century Victorian society. The research explores how the movements of aestheticism and decadence influenced the narrative, highlighting the pursuit of hedonistic pleasure and the separation between art and morality. In addition to contextualizing the author’s life and his own contradictions, the study investigates the social hypocrisy of the period, in which aristocratic appearances often concealed behaviors considered immoral. Dorian Gray’s trajectory is described as a descent into perversity, driven by the influence of Lord Henry Wotton and the desire for eternal youth. Finally, we employs the methodology of Cultural History to demonstrate how Wilde’s literature functions as a forceful critique of the rigid and utilitarian values of his time.