The Picture of Dorian Gray, published in 1890, is Oscar Wilde’s only novel and one of the most celebrated works of Gothic fiction in the English language. The story begins in the London studio of Basil Hallward, a talented painter who has become obsessed with the extraordinary beauty of a young man named Dorian Gray. When Dorian sees the finished portrait of himself, he is overwhelmed by his own beauty and, influenced by the cynical Lord Henry Wotton, makes a fateful wish: that the portrait would age in his place, allowing him to remain young and beautiful forever.
The wish is granted by some mysterious force, and Dorian embarks on a life devoted entirely to pleasure and sensation, following Lord Henry’s philosophy that beauty and sensory experience are the only things worth pursuing. Over the years, Dorian indulges in every vice and luxury while his face remains untouched by time. The portrait, however, hidden away in a locked room, grows increasingly hideous — recording every sin, every cruelty, and every moral failing that Dorian’s face no longer shows.
As decades pass, Dorian’s secret life grows darker. He destroys the lives of those around him, drives the actress Sibyl Vane to suicide, and is implicated in the death of Basil Hallward himself. Yet he moves through London society with charm and grace, his youthful appearance arousing admiration rather than suspicion. The portrait becomes both his conscience and his curse — the only evidence that his soul has been corrupted beyond repair.
Wilde’s novel is a brilliant exploration of the relationship between art, beauty, and morality. It asks whether a life lived purely for pleasure can ever be truly satisfying, and whether beauty can exist apart from goodness. The prose is elegant and witty, filled with Wilde’s characteristic epigrams and sharp observations about society. For intermediate English learners, the novel offers rich vocabulary and beautifully constructed sentences, while the compelling plot keeps readers engaged from beginning to end.
本書中的英語課程
1. ““The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.””
這意味著什麼: Lord Henry argues provocatively that the best way to stop wanting something is to simply give in and have it.
📝 英語課: "Get rid of" means "remove" or "eliminate." "Yield to" means "give in to" or "surrender to." This is a paradox — a statement that seems to contradict itself. Wilde uses paradoxes constantly to make readers think. Pattern: "The only way to X is to Y."
2. ““Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter.””
這意味著什麼: When an artist paints with genuine emotion, the painting reveals more about the artist’s own soul than about the person being painted.
📝 英語課: "That is painted with feeling" is a relative clause modifying "portrait." "The sitter" is the person who sits and poses for a painting. This sentence uses contrast: "of the artist, not of the sitter." This pattern is useful: "The real story is about X, not Y."
3. ““Experience is merely the name men gave to their mistakes.””
這意味著什麼: What we call "experience" is really just the collection of errors we have made and learned from.
📝 英語課: "Merely" means "only" or "nothing more than." "The name men gave to" means "what people call." This is another Wildean paradox that redefines a positive word in a negative way. Try the pattern: "X is merely the name we give to Y."
4. ““Behind every exquisite thing that existed, there was something tragic.””
這意味著什麼: Everything beautiful has a hidden sadness or painful story behind it.
📝 英語課: "Behind" here means "underneath" or "hidden beneath." "Exquisite" means "extremely beautiful and delicate." The sentence structure places the main idea at the end for dramatic effect. Notice: "that existed" is a relative clause narrowing "every exquisite thing" to real things, not imaginary ones.
5. ““I don’t want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them.””
這意味著什麼: Dorian does not want feelings to control him — he wants to be in charge of his own emotions and use them as he pleases.
📝 英語課: "At the mercy of" means "helplessly controlled by." The three infinitives "to use, to enjoy, to dominate" create a tricolon — a list of three that builds in intensity. This is a powerful rhetorical device in English speeches and writing.
6. ““You will always be fond of me. I represent to you all the sins you never had the courage to commit.””
這意味著什麼: Dorian tells someone they will always like him because he does the daring, forbidden things they secretly wish they could do.
📝 英語課: "Be fond of" means "like" or "have affection for." "Represent to you" means "symbolize for you." "Had the courage to commit" combines "had the courage" (were brave enough) with "commit" (do something, usually bad). The sentence reveals character through dialogue.
7. ““The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame.””
這意味著什麼: Books are called "immoral" not because they are bad, but because they reveal uncomfortable truths that society does not want to face.
📝 英語課: "The world calls" means "society labels as." "Its own shame" uses the possessive pronoun "its" to refer back to "the world." This sentence uses the pattern: "What people call X is really Y." Wilde is defending art against censorship.
8. ““To define is to limit.””
這意味著什麼: When you put a label or definition on something, you restrict it and prevent it from being anything else.
📝 英語課: This four-word sentence is a perfect example of Wilde’s epigrammatic style. Both verbs are infinitives used as nouns: "To define" = "the act of defining." "To limit" = "the act of limiting." The pattern "To X is to Y" equates two actions. Try it: "To teach is to learn."
Oscar Wilde’s writing is famous for its wit, paradoxes, and elegant sentence construction. These quotes are excellent for intermediate learners who want to practice rhetorical patterns, expand their vocabulary, and understand how English uses irony and contradiction to convey deeper meanings.
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