After reading the excerpt from Shelton Waldrep's "The Aesthetic Realism of Oscar Wilde's Dorian Gray" and the entire work while writing my paper, I noticed the idealistic manner in which Wilde approaches his current society.
In this excerpt, for example, Shelton relates that the Hellenic ideal was to be strived for in Wilde's present day in connection to the new aesthetic.
I like his compilation of the two worlds--the old and new; it is perhaps what we should strive to achieve today, that understanding that the old should be just as appreciated as the "new" ideal.
In my paper, I quoted Shelton in relation to the spectator in art. Yes, I finally found a topic for my paper: the importance of the spectator in the communication of art.
While I was a bit rushed in compiling my work for this paper, after reading the text assigned, I will make sure to reread Mr. Shelton, perhaps expanding my topic to the role of Hellenic ideals in Dorian's response to his painting, and in Lord Henry's influence upon Dorian's artful life.
Posted by Amanda Cochran at March 1, 2005 1:08 PM | TrackBack