Group: Jack McBurnett & Caleb Shurtz Period: 6

Oscar Wilde Style Analysis

Directions: Examine both Wilde texts and make notes on the following stylistic elements. Reference the power point “Elements of
Literary Style” to see definitions and explanations of each stylistic element. Groups may download and type into one document, then
submit the final analysis in ItsLearning. Explanation is required, but a few boxes may be left empty if not applicable. Evidence is
required; include a parenthetical reference, i.e. (Dorian Gray 74) or (Importance 29).

The Picture of Dorian Gray Stylistic Elements The Importance of Being Earnest

Wilde’s sentences are of widely varying
length: those describing setting are often
lengthy and quite expansive. Certain
character’s speak in more abrupt manners
while Lord Henry is more… eloquent.
This section from the beginning of chapter 16
illustrates the longer sentences in descriptive
sections.
“Lying back in the hansom, with his hat pulled
over his forehead, Dorian Gray watched with
listless eyes the sordid shame of the great
city, and now and then he repeated to himself
the words that Lord Henry had said to him on
the first day they had met, “To cure the soul
by means of the senses, and the senses by
means of the soul.” Yes, that was the secret.
He had often tried it, and would try it again
now. There were opium dens where one
1. Sentence Structure The sentences are simple and usually quite
short. They can range from being very short one
word exclamations to slightly longer during some
of Lady Bracknell’s interrogations. Although the
sentences are short, oftentimes there are
multiple short sentences strung together to give
a character a long piece of dialogue. We also
see parallelism in the sentences.
Example of short sentences strung together:
“‘Well, I must say, Algernon, that I think it is high
time that Mr. Bunbury made up his mind whether
he was going to live or to die. This shilly-
shallying with the question is absurd. Nor do I in
any way approve of the modern sympathy with
invalids. I consider it morbid. Illness of any kind
is hardly a thing to be encouraged in others.
Health is the primary duty of life. I am always
telling that to your poor uncle, but he never
could buy oblivion, dens of horror where the
memory of old sins could be destroyed by the
madness of sins that were new” (Wilde 189).
This section, on the other hand, shows
varying sentence styles in dialogue. Henry’s
are a bit longer while Dorian is a bit more
straightforward in writing.
“‘I am so sorry for it all, Dorian,’ said Lord
Henry as he entered. “But you must not think
too much about it.”
‘Do you mean about Sibyl Vane?’ asked the
lad.
‘Yes, of course,’ answered Lord Henry,
sinking into a chair and slowly pulling off his
yellow gloves. ‘It is dreadful, from one point of
view, but it was not your fault. Tell me, did you
go behind and see her, after the play was
over?’
‘Yes.’
‘I felt sure you had. Did you make a scene
with her?’
‘I was brutal, Harry—perfectly brutal. But it
is all right now. I am not sorry for anything
that has happened. It has taught me to know
myself better.’
‘Ah, Dorian, I am so glad you take it in that
way! I was afraid I would find you plunged in
remorse and tearing that nice curly hair of
yours’” (Wilde 100-101).
seems to take much notice . . . as far as any
improvement in his ailment goes. I should be
much obliged if you would ask Mr. Bunbury, from
me, to be kind enough not to have a relapse on
Saturday, for I rely on you to arrange my music
for me. It is my last reception, and one wants
something that will encourage conversation,
particularly at the end of the season when every
one has practically said whatever they had to
say, which, in most cases, was probably not
much’” (Wilde 39).
Example of short sentences very separated:
“ALGERNON.
‘Certainly, Aunt Augusta.’ [Goes over to tea-
table.]
LADY BRACKNELL.
‘Won’t you come and sit here, Gwendolen?’
GWENDOLEN.
‘Thanks, mamma, I’m quite comfortable where I
am.’
ALGERNON.
[Picking up empty plate in horror.] ‘Good
heavens! Lane! Why are there no cucumber
sandwiches? I ordered them specially.’
LANE.
[Gravely.] ‘There were no cucumbers in the
market this morning, sir. I went down twice.’
ALGERNON.

Wilde’s text structure in terms of paragraph
length and form closely mirrors his sentence
structure. Descriptions of setting can be
drawn-out while his characters speak in
manners reflective of their personality. In the
former, Wilde is still able to break up his
writing into fairly concise paragraphs. Lord
Henry goes on diatribes while more simple
minded characters make their points in fewer
words.
The following quote is excerpted from a point
in Dorian’s downfall - the structure of the
paragraph and long-form writing helps create
tone and establish a dark setting. His
sentences can be longer and the added
complexity fits the character of the section.
“A cold rain began to fall, and the blurred
street-lamps looked ghastly in the dripping
‘No cucumbers!’
LANE.
‘No, sir. Not even for ready money.’
ALGERNON.
‘That will do, Lane, thank you.’
LANE.
‘Thank you, sir.’ [Goes out.]” (Wilde 38)
2. Text Structure and The paragraphs are often both short and long
Sequencing because of the play format. While sometimes
only small statements are needed to explain a
character's feelings, other times a long
paragraph is needed to progress the plot. The
acts are separated mainly by the shift in setting,
as the plot continues to follow a chronological
order of events.
Long paragraph that expresses love:
“GWENDOLEN.
Yes, I am quite well aware of the fact. And I
often wish that in public, at any rate, you had
been more demonstrative. For me you have
always had an irresistible fascination. Even
before I met you I was far from indifferent to you.
[Jack looks at her in amazement.] We live, as I
hope you know, Mr. Worthing, in an age of
ideals. The fact is constantly mentioned in the
mist. The public-houses were just closing, and
dim men and women were clustering in more expensive monthly magazines, and has
broken groups round their doors. From some reached the provincial pulpits, I am told; and my
of the bars came the sound of horrible ideal has always been to love some one of the
laughter. In others, drunkards brawled and name of Ernest. There is something in that name
screamed. that inspires absolute confidence. The moment
Algernon first mentioned to me that he had a
Lying back in the hansom, with his hat
friend called Ernest, I knew I was destined to
pulled over his forehead, Dorian Gray
love you.” (Wilde 41)
watched with listless eyes the sordid shame
of the great city, and now and then he Short paragraph that expresses love:
repeated to himself the words that Lord Henry
had said to him on the first day they had met, “GWENDOLEN.
“To cure the soul by means of the senses,
and the senses by means of the soul.” Yes, Passionately!” (Wilde 41)
that was the secret. He had often tried it, and
would try it again now. There were opium
dens where one could buy oblivion, dens of
horror where the memory of old sins could be
destroyed by the madness of sins that were
new” (Wilde 189).

“‘And yet,’ continued Lord Henry, in his low,

musical voice, and with that graceful wave of
the hand that was always so characteristic of
him, and that he had even in his Eton days, ‘I
believe that if one man were to live out his life
fully and completely, were to give form to
every feeling, expression to every thought,
reality to every dream—I believe that the
world would gain such a fresh impulse of joy
that we would forget all the maladies of
mediævalism, and return to the Hellenic ideal
—to something finer, richer than the Hellenic
ideal, it may be. But the bravest man amongst
us is afraid of himself. The mutilation of the
savage has its tragic survival in the self-denial
that mars our lives. We are punished for our
refusals. Every impulse that we strive to
strangle broods in the mind and poisons us.
The body sins once, and has done with its
sin, for action is a mode of purification.
Nothing remains then but the recollection of a
pleasure, or the luxury of a regret. The only
way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.
Resist it, and your soul grows sick with
longing for the things it has forbidden to itself,
with desire for what its monstrous laws have
made monstrous and unlawful. It has been
said that the great events of the world take
place in the brain. It is in the brain, and the
brain only, that the great sins of the world
take place also. You, Mr. Gray, you yourself,
with your rose-red youth and your rose-white
boyhood, you have had passions that have
made you afraid, thoughts that have filled you
with terror, day-dreams and sleeping dreams
whose mere memory might stain your cheek
with shame—’ (Wilde 20-21).

Much of the plot of The Picture of Dorian
Gray revolves around the gradual shift in the
titular character’s personality. As a result,
Wilde structures his story almost as a
sequence of vignettes that portray Dorian at
various points in time. This gives the story a
flowing nature that seems to cover a lot of
ground while maintaining a narrow focus.
From the early conversation’s in Basil’s
garden to Dorian’s phases exploring art, the
3. Pace The plot is much more focused on the actions of
the characters than the setting. In fact, it is not
very descriptive at all. Seeing as though Wilde
produces and entire story in such a short play,
the focus must be placed on actions to move the
plot forward and not linger too much on detail.
The pace is pretty quick all the way through,
which leaves the reader almost confused as they
do not have time to think of the absurdity of the
events that happen in the play.
main character’s development is explored For example, the quick pace of Algernon’s lies
expansively. Some chapters are quite drawn can be seen here:
out - chapter 11, for example, spends a huge
amount of time delving into Dorian’s “LADY BRACKNELL.
obsessions with various new exploits. The
increased length here almost lets it serve as Gwendolen! What does this mean?
an extended transition sequence, traveling a
span of multiple years in a long, generalized
chapter.
GWENDOLEN.

Merely that I am engaged to be married to Mr.

Worthing, mamma.

JACK.

I am engaged to be married to Gwendolen, Lady

Bracknell!

LADY BRACKNELL.

You are nothing of the kind, sir. And now, as

regards Algernon! . . . Algernon!

ALGERNON.

Yes, Aunt Augusta.

LADY BRACKNELL.

Wilde puts his deep vocabulary to use in The
Picture of Dorian Gray. He uses flowery
language in many expository parts of the
novel. He maintains his former pattern of
varying writing style to form dialogic trends as
his characters speak with different levels of
eloquence.
May I ask if it is in this house that your invalid
friend Mr. Bunbury resides?
ALGERNON.
[Stammering.] Oh! No! Bunbury doesn’t live
here. Bunbury is somewhere else at present. In
fact, Bunbury is dead.
LADY BRACKNELL.
Dead! When did Mr. Bunbury die? His death
must have been extremely sudden.
ALGERNON.
[Airily.] Oh! I killed Bunbury this afternoon. I
mean poor Bunbury died this afternoon.” (Wilde
95)
4. Vocabulary The words are fancy in the sense that the
characters are in the upper class of their time,
but they are not fancy as in using extravagant
words that little have heard of. In fact, the
vocabulary they use is a little shallow and easily
understood. This makes the characters seem
very flat as they live their life in he Victorian Era.
Some words we found quite interesting
include “laburnum,” “whorl,” “ensconce,” and
“lionize.”

Wilde’s expansive vocabulary does multiple

things - it adds to the tone and feel of upper-
class Victorian society and helps establish
certain characters’ personalities.

5. Word Color, Word Sound At the end of the play we see some sound play
some importance as the rustling of Jack getting
the tote bag he was born in. This noise brings
tension to the characters present as they wait to
see what he is doing.

“[Noises heard overhead as if some one was

throwing trunks about. Every one looks up.]

CECILY.

Uncle Jack seems strangely agitated.

CHASUBLE.

Your guardian has a very emotional nature.”

(Wilde 105).
 Wilde does indeed make use of figures of 6. Figures of speech
speech in circumstances which fit them.
Arguably the entire book is written in a
satirical manner and Wilde employs
metaphor, simile, and the like. He does not
overuse these, though. The following
examples are of forms that emphasize Wilde’s
meaning and serve as irony. The last quote
serves as an example of the latter, as the
established phrase runs counter to common
sense.
“The body sins once, and has done with its
sin, for action is a mode of purification” (Wilde
21).
“We have emancipated them, but they remain
slaves looking for their masters, all the same.
(Wilde 107).
“We live in an age that reads too much to be
wise, and that thinks too much to be beautiful”
(Wilde 108).
There are symbols in the play, for example the
food in the play. The muffins, tea, and cucumber
sandwiches all showed the perfection of the
upper class because when the food was not
presented correctly the characters would be
seen complaining. There is also irony shown
through the play. One instance of irony occurs
when Cecily admits to being in love with
Algernon without having met him at all.
“LANE.
[Gravely.] There were no cucumbers in the
market this morning, sir. I went down twice.
ALGERNON.
No cucumbers!” (Wilde 38).
“CECILY.
Well, ever since dear Uncle Jack first confessed
to us that he had a younger brother who was
very wicked and bad, you of course have formed
the chief topic of conversation between myself
and Miss Prism. And of course a man who is
much talked about is always very attractive. One
feels there must be something in him, after all. I
daresay it was foolish of me, but I fell in love with
you, Ernest.” (Wilde 74).
 The Picture of Dorian Gray’s endnotes make 7. Allusions Wilde uses allusions in The Importance of
it all too clear the importance of allusions in Being Earnest in adding character to his writing
Wilde’s writing. Much of his satirical style and making comparisons stand out. Wilde’s
come to life through references to known contemporary readers will understand the
events or cultural phenomena that would references to political, cultural, and historical
have been especially striking at the time of figures and be able to connect them to ideas
the novel’s publication. The following section - about characters and plot trends. I think he
a quote from Lord Henry - is riddled with generally shies away from allusions compared to
allusions. This helps establish Lord Henry’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, seeing as there is a
character while continuing previously greater emphasis on dialogue.
established connections between Sybil and
characters from plays. Wilde calls a character loud by saying that “Only
relatives, or creditors, ever ring in that
“‘No, she will never come to life. She has Wagnerian manner” (Wilde 37).
played her last part. But you must think of that
lonely death in the tawdry dressing-room
simply as a strange lurid fragment from some
Jacobean tragedy, as a wonderful scene from
Webster, or Ford, or Cyril Tourneur. The girl
never really lived, and so she has never really
died. To you at least she was always a
dream, a phantom that flitted through
Shakespeare’s plays and left them lovelier for
its presence, a reed through which
Shakespeare’s music sounded richer and
more full of joy. The moment she touched
actual life, she marred it, and it marred her,
and so she passed away. Mourn for Ophelia,
if you like. Put ashes on your head because
Cordelia was strangled. Cry out against
Heaven because the daughter of Brabantio
died. But don’t waste your tears over Sibyl
Vane. She was less real than they are’” (107).
Wilde makes use of a third-person
perspective in The Picture of Dorian Gray that
contributes to the book’s overall message.
The character’s gradual shift to mental
degradation is illustrated by seeing Dorian
from the outside as well as being able to
know his thoughts.
“There were moments, indeed, at night, when,
lying sleepless in his own delicately-scented
chamber, or in the sordid room of the little ill-
famed tavern near the Docks, which, under
an assumed name, and in disguise, it was his
habit to frequent, he would think of the ruin he
had brought upon his soul, with a pity that
was all the more poignant because it was
purely selfish. But moments such as these
were rare.” (131)
“He sat down, and began to think. Every year
—every month, almost—men were strangled
in England for what he had one. There had
been a madness of murder in the air.” (164)
8. Point of View For most of the play the point of view is third
person limited as the audience is merely
watching the characters interact and not peering
into any one’s thoughts. However, there is one
point in the play where we see Algy talk to
himself and let the audience know what he is
thinking. This shows a small shift into third
person omniscient.
“LANE.
Thank you, sir. [Lane goes out.]
ALGERNON.
Lane’s views on marriage seem somewhat lax.
Really, if the lower orders don’t set us a good
example, what on earth is the use of them? They
seem, as a class, to have absolutely no sense of
moral responsibility.
[Enter Lane.]” (Wilde 28)
 The whole plot of The Picture of Dorian Gray 9. Character development
revolves around Dorian’s mental
development. The supporting characters
largely exist in relation to Dorian - Lord Henry
is static in comparison and the flaws of his
ideology are exposed as Dorian takes on his
philosophy. Dorian’s relative dynamism is
brought out by the development (or lack
thereof) of other characters. Several moments
in the story can be taken as a whole to
illustrate this principle. The opening chapters -
dominated by conversation between Lord
Henry, Dorian, and Basil - elaborate on the
characters’ personalities. Lord Henry, who
proselytizes for much of the section, holds
unpopular and hedonistic moral ideas. Dorian
is more mainstream and innocent. In chapter
11, Dorian is going through different phases
of his breakdown, and by the end of the book,
Dorian’s personality has altered completely.
Lord Henry remains largely unchanged
throughout, making Dorian’s transformation
more stark.
The characters in the play are both flat and
static. Although they say some interesting
things, none of them are very complex. Their
sole driving force of each of their actions is to be
with the people they love. We see this “love”
driving the plot represented at the end when
each character hugs their significant other.
Furthermore, this depth in character is not
altered as the text goes on. They start flat and
end flat.
“JACK.
Gwendolen, it is a terrible thing for a man to find
out suddenly that all his life he has been
speaking nothing but the truth. Can you forgive
me?
GWENDOLEN.
I can. For I feel that you are sure to change.
JACK.
My own one!
CHASUBLE.
[To Miss Prism.] Lætitia! [Embraces her]

As has been touched on earlier, Wilde uses
dialogue in a multitude of fashions. Chief
among these is establishing character traits,
with Lord Henry’s spouting of hedonistic ideas
clueing the reader into his character. The
gradual change in Dorian’s style of speaking
is reflective of his change as a character and
done through dialogue.
In the following excerpt, Lord Henry speaks
in a moderately more florid maner. The
content of his speech is also more general
and philosophical than that of Basil.
MISS PRISM.
[Enthusiastically.] Frederick! At last!
ALGERNON.
Cecily! [Embraces her.] At last!
JACK.
Gwendolen! [Embraces her.] At last!” (Wilde
109)
10. Use of Dialogue Because the story is a play, the use of dialogue
tells almost the entire story. The way the
dialogue is presented, or performed ultimately
drives the story. Different emotions are seen
through the dialogue from the characters, but we
also see Wilde speaking through the dialogue
when the characters say absurd things. This
absurdity shows the satire in the play. In addition
to the dialogue, the actions of the actors also
helps to drive the story. Certain actions and
expressions that are used help to set a tone for
the scene and show the emotions of the
characters.
 “‘Except in America,’ rejoined Lord Henry
languidly. ‘But I didn’t say he was married. I
said he was engaged to be married. There is
a great difference. I have a distinct
remembrance of being married, but I have no
recollection at all of being engaged. I am
inclined to think that I never was engaged.’
‘But think of Dorian’s birth, and position,
and wealth. It would be absurd for him to
marry so much beneath him.’
‘If you want to make him marry this girl, tell
him that, Basil. He is sure to do it, then.
Whenever a man does a thoroughly stupid
thing, it is always from the noblest motives.’
‘I hope the girl is good, Harry. I don’t want
to see Dorian tied to some vile creature, who
might degrade his nature and ruin his
intellect’” (Wilde 77).
I think Wilde stays fairly conventional in the
manner in which he wrote. There are no funky
tricks and structures Wilde includes apart
from the occasional extended speech from a
character.
Lord Henry is the character most known for
his speeches; Dorian begins to give some of
An example of the exaggeration/absurdity:
“JACK.
Well, really, Gwendolen, I must say that I think
there are lots of other much nicer names. I think
Jack, for instance, a charming name.
GWENDOLEN.
Jack? . . . No, there is very little music in the
name Jack, if any at all, indeed. It does not thrill.
It produces absolutely no vibrations . . . I have
known several Jacks, and they all, without
exception, were more than usually plain.
Besides, Jack is a notorious domesticity for
John! And I pity any woman who is married to a
man called John. She would probably never be
allowed to know the entrancing pleasure of a
single moment’s solitude. The only really safe
name is Ernest.” (Wilde 42)
11. Experimentation in
Language
his own as he becomes more like the former.

Wilde writes with a generally dark and bleak 12. Tone The tone of the play is satirical as Wilde pokes
tone throughout The Picture of Dorian Gray. fun at the higher classes, wealth, and marriage.
Again, dialogue serves to clue the reader into However, the mood of the play is sort of
character traits as each speaks with a whimsical as the characters are very bizarre and
different tone. say and think things that nobody would even
think of doing. For example, both Jack and Algy
The beginning of chapter 16 serves to request a christening to change their name for
exemplify the bleak tone Wilde utilizes in his their lover:
novel. His forming of longer sentences, use of
words with darker undertones, and syntactical “JACK.
devices helps build a mystic and gloomy tone
that reflects the arc of the story. Gwendolen, I must get christened at once—I
mean we must get married at once. There is no
“It is said that passion makes one think in a time to be lost.” (Wilde 42)
circle. Certainly with hideous iteration the
bitten lips of Dorian Gray shaped and “ALGERNON.
reshaped those subtle words that dealt with
soul and sense, till he had found in them the I must see him at once on a most important
full expression, as it were, of his mood, and christening—I mean on most important
justified, by intellectual approval, passions business.” (Wilde 77).
that without such justification would still have
dominated his temper. From cell to cell of his
brain crept the one thought; and the wild
desire to live, most terrible of all man’s
appetites, quickened into force each trembling
nerve and fibre. Ugliness that had once been
hateful to him because it made things real,
became dear to him now for that very reason.
Ugliness was the one reality. The coarse
brawl, the loathsome den, the crude violence
of disordered life, the very vileness of thief
and outcast, were more vivid, in their intense
actuality of impression, than all the gracious
shapes of art, the dreamy shadows of song.
They were what he needed for forgetfulness.
In three days he would be free” (Wilde 190-
191).
Wilde writes much of his novel to fit his
overall goal of describing the downfall of the
titular character. Other characters are
described in opposition to him, Lord Henry’s
influence is made clear through tone,
vocabulary, and more, and Dorian himself
speaks in different manners throughout the
text. Wilde clearly structured his writing in a
manner designed to emphasize Dorian’s
dynamism and reflect his message as a
whole.
Conclusions In The Important of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde
uses his style to create a comedic and satirical
play about Victorian era society. Many aspects
of Wilde’s style and establishment of plot
elements play into his overall criticism of
Victorian society. Food, used here to symbolize
the era’s social uptightness and perfectionism,
comments on the upper classes over critical
nature towards imperfection. Examples of the
food include the cucumber sandwiches, the
muffins, and the tea which were all seen in a
state of imperfection and were subsequently
complained about by the characters. We see this
symbolism that was used for the food in other
works of literature by Wilde. In The Picture of
Dorian Gray, for example, there are symbols of
the painting and the book that are also used to
comment on Victorian society. Furthermore, in
the play, there is an overall mood of absurdity
from characters having bizarre actions and
thoughts. This helps to play into the satirical
work of the play as it pokes fun of the way the
higher class acts.