The Picture of Dorian Gray

Sample Lesson - Introduction

Lesson 1.08: Secrets Don't Make Friends

Let's just say we hope Mr. Gray knows a good barrister.
(Source)

Like the McRib, Basil is back—and he's got some bad news for Dorian.

All that decadence and sin Wilde referred to in the last chapter? Well, people have started to notice it. At first, Dorian's angelic good looks afforded him some protection (much like an adorable puppy, it's hard to get mad at Dorian when he makes that face), but now? His reputation is catching up to him.

Even though we, the readers, know that everything people are saying about Dorian is 110 percent true, Basil can't believe it. How can someone who looks so good be so bad?

Basil is so caught up in his "worship" of Dorian that, despite all the evidence, he can't see what's right in front of him. As you'll see, this leads him into a pretty sticky situation.

But Basil's character arc can help us understand one of the major themes of Dorian Gray: reality versus appearance. The novel is partly a warning not to get fooled by a pretty face or to judge a book by its cover. In Basil's case, he confuses "beauty" with "innocence" or "morality"—and we hate to break it to you, friend, but people make similar errors of judgment in real life.

For example, have you ever:

• bought a product because of how it looked in an advertisement and then been disappointed when it didn't do what it was supposed to?
• supported a political candidate because they seemed like the kind of person who'd be a good leader instead of researching what positions they actually held?
• assumed all Gryffindors were virtuous and upright, then felt silly when you reminded yourself that Wormtail was a Gryffindor? (No? Uh…totally. Us neither.)

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you've been a victim of the same type of deception as Basil was, although hopefully you didn't meet the same dire consequences.

No spoilers here. All we'll say is: choose your friends very, very wisely.

Sample Lesson - Reading

Reading 1.1.08: Chapters 12 and 13

Climb the stairs to your chamber, brush away the cobwebs, and crack open your copy of Dorian Gray.

Your thrilling, chilling, and thoroughly Gothic task? Read Chapters 12 and 13. Don't let yourself get too freaked out—make sure you have it together enough to think about the following reflection questions:

• Why does Basil come to visit Dorian? How does Dorian react to what he tells him?
• What does Basil come to understand about his "worship" of Dorian? Do you think he comes to regret it?
• Why does Dorian do what he does with Basil in Chapter 13? Do you think he had a choice?

When you're finished reading, head on over to the activity—and pour one out for a particular homie.

Don't worry. You'll know the one by the end of the reading.

Sample Lesson - Activity

Activity 1.08a: The "We Love Dorian" Club

R.I.P., Basil. We'll miss you.

Maybe you should have taken a cue from horror movies (or their Victorian equivalent) and not followed Dorian into the creepy, sinister attic. But what's done is done, and your goose is cooked. Just like Sybil Vane's.

Hey, remember her? She and Basil actually have a lot in common. They both "worshipped" Dorian, but all it got them was a midnight snack of prussic acid and a knife to the throat. Womp, womp.

In fact, Basil and Sybil have so much in common that they're the subject of this literary analysis assignment. This activity is split over two lessons. First, you'll practice your prewriting skills by doing a brainstorm activity—which you'll later turn into a short essay.

Here's your prompt.

Both Basil and Sybil are "taken in" or fooled by Dorian's good looks and innocent appearance, leading to disastrous results. Using evidence from the text, compare and contrast the unfortunate fates of both of these characters and make a guess as to what Wilde was suggesting about the conflict between appearance and reality.

Your essay should be at least 400 words long and contain at least three direct quotations from the novel, formatted MLA style.

We're sure you've got your highlighter out and are rarin' to go, but you won't actually write the essay until the next activity. Today, you'll do a brainstorming activity to get your juices going. We're looking forward to three steps.

Ready? We thought so.

Step One

Skim the relevant passages in Dorian Gray. For this essay, they would be:

• Chapter Five, when James warns Sybil about Dorian
• the chapters we just read, in which Basil gets murdered

Highlight or mark portions in the text that you might want to cite in your essay. We're guessing you'll already have a sentence or two highlighted from when you read these portions of the book. Pat yourself on the back if that's the case.

Step Two

Reread the prompt and do a five- to seven-minute free write.

In case you didn't know, a free write is a short, unstructured writing activity in which you just write, without stopping to edit or think too hard about what you're saying. Some of what you produce during a free write might be silly or weird, but you will often surprise yourself by making an interesting connection or coming up with a great idea for a thesis statement.

Our example free write looks a little something like this:

Okay, so personally we think both Basil and Sibyl are a little naive to have been sucked into Dorian's whole "innocence" shtick, but whatever. Far be it for us to judge. We guess that means that Wilde wants to portray Sibyl and Basil as both being pretty idealistic about the nature of beauty. They're both pretty shallow if they think that physical beauty equals innocence or goodness of character. Basically, they both put Dorian on a pedestal because he's handsome and stuff, and they're so disappointed by his decline that they…get dead. Which, like, okay. That sucks. But they should've seen it coming a mile away, we think. Or is that just our whole "outside knowledge" talking? Honestly, we don't know.

Just amazing.

Step Three

Go through and bold, highlight, or underline key words or ideas from your free write that you think you might use in your essay. In the same document, make a list of those ideas, formed into complete sentences that can then be used in your essay. For example, if we were to take ideas from our own free write, we'd have a final document that looks like this:

Okay so personally we think both Basil and Sibyl are a little naive to have been sucked into Dorian's whole "innocence" shtick, but whatever. Far be it for us to judge. We guess that means that Wilde wants to portray Sibyl and Basil as both being pretty idealistic about the nature of beauty. They're both pretty shallow if they think that physical beauty equals innocence or goodness of character. Basically, they both put Dorian on a pedestal because he's handsome and stuff, and they're so disappointed by his decline that they…get dead. Which, like, okay. That sucks. But they should've seen it coming a mile away, we think. Or is that just our whole "outside knowledge" talking? Honestly, we don't know.

• In The Picture of Dorian Gray, both Sibyl Vane and Basil Hallward are portrayed as characters whose naivety and shallowness lead them to think Dorian Gray is righteous and innocent.
• We can see this because Sibyl and Basil both react very poorly to Dorian's change in demeanor or eventual snootiness (for lack of a better word), even to the point that it dooms them both.

When you're finished, submit your document. Make sure to save a copy to refer back to tomorrow, when you'll be turning all these glorious ideas into an essay.

Sample Lesson - Activity

Activity 1.08b: The Essay of Dorian Gray

Remember the essay you brainstormed for in our last activity? You know the one:

• It's a literary analysis essay about the theme of appearance versus reality.
• It compares and contrasts Basil and Sybil, who are both fooled by Dorian's good looks and suffer the consequences.
• You did a free write about it yesterday, which you should now pull up and look at.

Thanks to your free write, you should have a good idea of what you want to say, but, in case you're an eager-beaver-overachiever (or you just want a little help), why not check out the Shmoop guide to Dorian Gray? Trust us, it's got everything, including:

• a plot summary if you're the forgetful type (just don't spoil yourself on future chapters)
• character guides (pay special attention to Basil and Sibyl, obvs)
• general information about themes, if you're so inclined to check these out

All of this might help you get a better handle on what you want to say. Just remember not to accidentally plagiarize—all words and ideas must be your own. And like we said: if you're the type who hates spoilers, proceed with caution.

Here's the prompt again, for your reading pleasure:

Both Basil and Sybil are "taken in" or fooled by Dorian's good looks and innocent appearance, leading to disastrous results. Using evidence from the text, compare and contrast the unfortunate fates of both of these characters and make a guess as to what Wilde was suggesting about the conflict between appearance and reality.

Basically, your essay should include the following:

• a minimum of 400 words in total
• five paragraphs
  • an intro paragraph with a clear thesis that states your stance on the topic
  • three supporting paragraphs that include textual evidence to support your stance
  • a conclusion paragraph that restates your thesis while wrapping up your supporting points
• at least three direct quotes from the text, formatted MLA style

If you need any help with figuring out how to structure your essay, you can always count on Shmoop's Essay Lab to guide you.

Now, like a bunny to a carrot: hop to it. And, when you're finished, upload the final product below.

Sample Lesson - Activity