I just finished Dorian Gray, and I found it to be well written and intellectually stimulating. Oscar Wilde is a fantastic author. I found myself highlighting passages because they were so precise. It amazed me that Wilde could use language, which is a very indefinite form of communication, to shape his ideas. After I read certain passages I said to myself: “yes, I know exactly what he is trying to say”. The book overall was quite depressing, but I value it more for its truth than how it made me feel. I also want to make a 365 day calendar, each day having a quote said by Lord Henry. I found them hilarious!

Interestingly I have found a connection between Dorian Gray and The Prince. Both of the books explore the dark side of human nature, the question of: what if there were no consequences? Machiavelli’s advice was closely followed by Dorian, but instead of political gains Gray made sensual ones. He achieved them by any means necessary and charmed anyone who condemned him for it. Dorian was unstoppable. His beauty and charm overshadowed any foul deed he committed. The two aforementioned attributes coupled with his portrait granted Dorian the power to indulge himself with out consequence. This is the equivalent of politics. The best politicians, usually politicos, can charm their way in and out of anything. In this light I view the novel as an answer to the question: what would humans do if there were no consequences to their actions? Wilde’s answer is frightening, but in my opinion very accurate. Dorian Gray represents “the dark side” in all of us (Star Wars might be juvenile but the metaphor fits). Dorian wants to know everything-the good and the bad. He already knows what being good feels like, and Lord Henry shows him how to indulge himself. Upon finding the knowledge of evil, he finds he cannot become good again (like Anakin Skywalker becoming Darth Vader). Someone once said: “when knowledge stretches one’s mind, it is impossible for it to return to its original size”. I find this statement is true concerning the knowledge of evil. Dorian’s journey into his dark side reveals to him the uselessness of being good and the tragedy of being bad- the former damns one to a long, boring life of anonymity and the latter grants one a brief life of exhilarating passion followed by a cataclysmic downfall.

Dorian’s life and the life of a politician (in Machiavelli’s time) are one in the same. Both are granted power over people with out any one to keep them in check. The politicians who chose to do horrible things to indulge their passion for more power were killed quickly, just as Dorian lived a relatively short life of indulgence. The trick, as both parties discovered, is to mask their hedonism with beauty and charm. This way, they could do whatever they wanted with out consequence. And given that opportunity, they always chose indulgence over temperance (this is very arguable).

With out checks like morality and God humans would do anything they desired. What’s stopping them? God and morals cannot be proved or scientifically studied, so for the sake of argument I must assume they are non-existent. The only thing keeping humans in check are themselves. They have an infinite potential for good or evil, and since evil is naturally selected for, it is the more commonly chosen path. The good (unselfish) always die. The bad always live on. And that, unlike morality and God, can be proven.

Look at the most successful people in history. A vast majority of them achieved their success through virtù, not virtue. I could go on and on with examples, but I think the best one is evolution. It naturally selects organisms that are the best at surviving, regardless of how they do it. Knowing this, I envy the mind of animals: they don’t know how to think, and are therefore freed from emotions like guilt and sorrow that inevitably result from the taking of resources from another to survive; emotions that deeply trouble human beings.

On Another Note:

I thought the Victorian Aristocracy was very much like the politics of the 16th Century. Everyone acts like they like everyone else, when really he or she is secretly plotting to advance his or her own position. The result is a world filled with treachery, where everyone wears a pleasant mask to cover up their hideous ambitions. To a person’s face lies are always told, but to their back, the truth is revealed. Also no one is technically above anyone else (save titles). The only thing they have to distinguish themselves is cunning (virtù). They are not really better than anyone else, so they must make it seem like they are.

This post seems scattered and unfocused- maybe I’ll fix it later.

I’m sorry Prince, I have found another obsession for the moment. His name is Dorian.

Just because I’m a soccer player does not make me homosexual. I was talking about the books!!! Geez. Get your mind out of the gutter.

I started Dorian Gray and it’s great. Hedonism fits into Machiavelli’s philosophy, and I find myself noticing the similarities then chuckling. haha (that’s a chuckle). When I finish Dorian Gray I will return to the Prince, and the painstaking research that will inevitably result in order for me to understand Machiavelli’s similes. At least it gives me something to do. I finished season three of House tonight, which leaves a huge hole in my daily routine. I usually come home and watch an episode or two, and now I can’t anymore   How else am I supposed to procrastinate??

Solution: read Dorian Gray. That way I can do two things at once. I can not do my project and still be productive at the same time. I found a loophole in my logic. Excellent.

Peace-