Picture of Dorian Gray Vs. My Last Duchess

The Picture of Dorian Gray, written by Oscar Wilde, begins with an introduction of witty sayings discussing the question of if art has any use; and if it does, what are its implications. Likewise, “My Last Duchess”, written by Oscar Wilde’s Victorian contemporary Robert Browning, also delves into these provocative questions. Both The Picture of Dorian Gray and “My Last Duchess” explore the question of whether art has a moral element or whether it is only a purely meaningless application of the artist.

In the introduction Oscar Wilde states “there is no such thing as a moral or immoral book”. Not only does Wilde use this statement to defend his book but he is also suggesting that books have no moral connotations. That, in fact, they should only be taken at face value. In the book Lord Henry often times parallels what Wilde himself believed. Lord Henry tells Dorian late in the novel regarding the book he gave Dorian that “Art has no influence upon action… it is superbly sterile”. The idea of art for art’s sake exemplifies how many Romantics viewed art. During the late nineteenth century there was shift from art being viewed as purposeful and meaningful to being viewed aesthetically. Likewise the Duke in “My Last Duchess” only sees art as art as art and nothing more. This is evident by how