Of Scandal and Censorship
An Analysis of banned books
The Picture of Dorian Gray
By Oscar Wilde
While many have read "The Picture of Dorian Gray," by acclaimed playwright Oscar Wilde, it has taken over 120 years for his true work to be published. Oscar
Wilde's tale came during an age of England bent on the persecution of
homosexuality. In the Reading of "The Uncensored Picture of Dorian Gray", Jesse
Scott found that In 1885 the Labouchere Amendment was passed, deeming indecent
acts a crime. Ambiguous in it's diction, the law was able to be used to condemn and
chastise those found to be immoral in the eyes of The United Kingdom. The
introduction to the released uncensored edition of "The Picture of Dorian Gray,
explains that, "Under the terms of the Labouchere Amendment, homosexual acts,
as well as the procurement or attempted procurement of those acts, were
punishable by up to two years' imprisonment with or without hard labor" (Wilde 8).
"The first publication was so widely condemned and controversial that a major
British retailer removed all editions of Lippincott’s from its bookshelves" (Schor).
Michele, of the Banned Books and Censorship course at Glendale Community College
goes on to explain that this was in fact after the editing of numerous homosexual
references.
Kevin Chavez, also of Glendale Community College, points out that "Dorian partook
in a lot of debauchery and attempted to experience pleasure in any way no matter who
it hurt. It was a idea that was against the norm, as Henry points out in the book the
norm is for the rich English to help the poor and be charitable." While this was
expressed on more than one occasion in the book, it is actually quite the opposite when
Click here for an insight to the characters of the novel "The Picture of Dorian Gray." The talented Michele Schor and Branson Shumway pull Dorian Gray back from the dead for a Q&A segment on modern day radio.
one considers the fact that the rich and powerful used their might in order to supress Oscar Wilde's progessive stance on society and sexual exploration. Many
would attribute this ultimately, to his incarceration.
The final nail in the coffin of Oscar Wilde's conviction was in fact not due to his novel at all. Branson Shumway, Banned Books and Censorship student, conveys,
"This was done under the idea that it [the censorship] would cause less of an uproar and that it would help to ease the public opinion of Wilde which had taken a
slight turn not only due to the controversy of Dorian Gray’s original publication but because it was discovered that he had been having an affair with the son of a
politician." A valid argument, for controversy begets controversy in 1895 as much as it does today.
Now over a century after the censorship of Dorian Gray's novel has passed. Sadly, we are still in the same strife today as we were then, banning books and
censoring ideas. Wilde did not write a book of vulgarity, or even challenge his government. "The Picture of Dorian Gray" was simply Oscar Wilde's plea to be
accepted in a society that looked down upon his lifestyle and was ultimately shamed and convicted of immoral activities. However, there is a silver lining to the story
as an uncensored version of "The Picture of Dorian Gray" is now available for purchase.