Olha Senkiv
(Kamyanets-Podilskiy Ivan Ohiyenko National University)
Scientific Supervisor: M.V. Matkovska, Senior Lecturer
STYLISTIC PECULIARITIES OF IDIOMS IN OSCAR WILDE’S “THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY”
The relevance of this topic is that on the one hand artistic idioms are the basis of artistic discourse, but on the other hand idioms are a complex unit that requires attention and analysis.
“The Picture of Dorian Gray” is one of O. Wilde’s most popular works. The story begins in the art studio of Basil Hallward, who is discussing the current painting with his witty and immoral friend, Lord Henry Wotton. Henry believes the painting, a portrait of an extremely handsome young man, should be on display, but Basil disagrees, fearing that the work will trace his obsession with the portrait’s hero, Dorian Gray. Then Dorian shows up and is fascinated by Henry explaining his belief in living a fulfilling life and following impulses. Henry also points out that beauty and youth are ephemeral, and Dorian states that if the portrait grew old and twisted and he remained young and beautiful, he would give his soul. Basil gives the picture to Dorian.
In the works of Oscar Wilde, one can find many examples of replacing a component of an idiom with its antonym. Reading the novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray”, we become witnesses of a dialogue between two witty people who talk about human qualities: “Ugliness is one of the seven deadly sins, then?” cried the Duchess, “What becomes of your simile about the orchid?”. “Ugliness is one of the seven deadly virtues, Gladys” [4, p. 194].
The author transforms the idiom ‘the seven deadly sins’ by replacing the component with an antonym, which increases the expressiveness of the statement and emphasizes the opposite of the expressed opinion to the replica of the first character.
The character in “The Picture of Dorian Gray”, Lord Henry, who likes to impress those around him with his flamboyant speech and wordplay, says: I can stand brute force, but brute reason is quite unbearable. There is something unfair about its use. It is hitting below the intellect [4, p. 6].
Emphasizing this feature of his hero, the author transforms the idiom ‘to hit below the belt’. In “The Picture of Dorian Gray”, a middle-aged lady confesses to Dorian: “I know, my dear, I should have fallen madly in love with you,” she used to say, “and thrown my bonnet right over the mills for your sake. It is most fortunate that you were not thought of at that time. As it was, our bonnets were so unbecoming, and the mills were so occupied in trying to raise the wind, that I never had even a flirtation with anybody” [4, p. 202].
Stylistically, in his prose, Wilde seems to be striving for the synaesthesia of visual, plastic, and musical art through language. He uses numerous inverted idioms creating his own proverbs and quotes which have become winged phrases. Being natural is simply a pose and the most irritating pose I know [4, p. 5].
The variation of this idiom changes the meaning of the original idiom “being unnatural is simply a pose”. Lord Henry plays the role of a critical cynic and propagates the so-called “black” philosophy. The idiom denies sincerity choosing the thesis “life is a game”. He doesn’t burn with his natural passion [4, p. 18].
The author applies extension of the component structure of idiom “to burn with passion”. Wilde strives to stress on the fact that a person who is affected by someone is not able to behave naturally. Dorian Gray has become a victim of Henry’s immorality as he lived out the life which had been programmed for him by his “friend”. Beauty doesn’t die [4, p. 120].
Original sin is that of Adam, not humanity. The writer again inverted idiom to create stylistic effect aiming at intensified expression of the protagonist’s words. The idiom supposes “immoral” idea which is one of the concepts of hedonism being described in the novel. My heart shall never be put under their microscope [4, p. 8].
The variation in component structure of the idiom “to put something under microscope” leads to the creation of a passive construction used by Oscar Wilde. In this case, the phrase means “to be examined very carefully”. Basil means that he will not exhibit his painting, so as not to reveal his true soul and feelings. According to him “he put too much of himself in it”.
Stylistically, in his prose, Wilde seems to be striving for the synaesthesia of visual, plastic, and musical art through language. He uses numerous inverted idioms creating his own proverbs and quotes which have become winged phrases.
The author transforms idioms by replacing the component with an antonym, which increases the expressiveness of the statement and emphasizes the opposite of the expressed opinion to the replica of the first character.
Selfishness and thirst for pleasure gradually destroy the soul of the hero, leading him to death. Sophistication of details, paradoxical plot situations and language of characters, elements of fiction, brilliant aphorisms make the book interesting and fascinating. It is through his cynical paradoxes that Lord Henry Watton, an apologist for hedonism, a cult of selfishness and pleasure, intrigues and confuses young Dorian, inadvertently depriving him of stable traditional norms and ideas, and passing on his destructive ideas in an attractive way. Lord Henry’s paradoxes play the role of a kind of suggestion [1; 2; 3].
Therefore, in the work there are many idioms of comparison. In works of art, the authors use common idioms to color the language and make it more interesting and easy. Oscar Wilde has repeatedly referred to their use in his novel. Most often, such idioms in the work “The Picture of Dorian Gray” are used to describe the emotions and appearance of man.
REFERENCES
- Chatterjee A. Language and space: Some interactions. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 5, 2001. P. 55–61.
- Rosch E.H. Cognitive representation of semantic categories. Journal of Experimental Psychology. Vol. 104. Р. 192–233.
- Stenning K. Methodical semanticism considered as a history of progress incognitive science. 1988. Р. 234–235.
- Wilde Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. Random House, 2004. 272 p.