The initial reception of the novel 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' through the victorian public. An analysis of the standards of the literary critic

Seminar paper from the year 2003 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 2,3 (B), University of Freiburg (English Faculty), course: Oscar Wilde Proseminar, 13 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: This paper will be separated into three main parts. The first examines late-Victorian moral values, literary standards as well as Oscar Wilde´s view of art and its criticism. The second part explores reactions of the audience, especially the press, to Wilde´s novel The Picture of Dorian Gray.. The third part then critically analyses these arguments and explains the role Victorian values and the resulting literary expectation played in the criticism.