Explore how writers of the two texts you have studied present violence? PLAN
The Picture of Dorian Gray: Narrative violence presents Dorian (Victorian aesthete) as selfish and
responsible for his own violence. Wilde is critical of self-indulgence, hedonism and physiognomy.
Considered to be a gothic melodrama, following the structure of a typical Greek tragedy, central to the idea
of the Faustian Pact (Dr Faustus – Marlowe). Fin de siècle commenting on Victorian politics.
Beloved: Authorial violence portrays Sethe as the victim of slavery, something she cannot be held
responsible for, and therefore easier to sympathise with. Sethe is a traumatised ex-slave, and Toni Morrison
is critical of racially driven violence that has not gone away since the freeing of slaves (BLM). Considered
to be gothic literature in the style of a slave narrative with moments of magic realism with a loose,
fragmented narrative.
1. Foreshadowing Violence: Violence is hinted at before it happens, in both, for increased dramatic
tension. Lord Henry’s manipulation of Dorian Gray implies DG will do something bad, as he
progressively is becoming more and more like LH. Near the murder of Basil, we are led to the event
by DG stating he has ‘an uncontrollable feeling of hatred for Basil Hallward’ which is an immediate
sign of their friendship detaching as DG has never referred to B in this way (‘painter’)
‘uncontrollable’ implies D feels he should not be responsible, but ‘hatred’ implies otherwise as it
suggests there is an emotion catalysing the murder. The juxtaposition further foreshadows intense
violence (conflicting ideas lead to actual conflict), in this case Basil is the victim of authorial
violence and Dorian thinks he is, when actually, he is just causing the violence himself
DG then goes onto crush a flower which links to Victorian Dandyism, Wilde was a Dandy himself,
injects autobiographical qualities into the violence.
Similarly, anticipation is built in Beloved from the first line, suggesting this novel will be scattered
with violence. ‘124 was spiteful full of baby’s venom’ creates an atmosphere of horror and suspense,
foreshadowing Beloved’s violence and introducing the baby ghost as the first, and most significant,
character. Personifies the house as violent (Sethe is described with zoomorphism) presents the house
as more important than the people living inside -> Slaves counted as 3/5 of a person for economic
purposes. Civil Rights Movement not until 60s and black people are still not treated equally (BLM –
George Floyd/ Stephen Lawrence) shows how even though slaves were ‘freed’ and could ‘build a
life’ there was still violence and racism
2. Animalistic Imagery: Creates visually and emotionally understandable characters by using familiar
concepts for more vividly violent descriptions. Helps convey a difficult, unrelatable concept of
murder. For both of the characters, the animal they are described as reflects how they internal view
themselves (prey versus predator). Paul D criticizes Sethe for her animalistic values ‘you got two feet
Sethe not four’ insinuating Sethe acts like an animal, implying she played into the slave –owners
dehumanizing ideas of slaves by acting like an animal. Slaves made up 1/3 of the population in the
south ‘sixty million and more’ so the descriptions of slaves as animals is very significant and
effective. Sethe is described as ‘hawk on the wing’ symbolizing pride but also a sense of cruelty in
the way they capture their prey, Stamp Paid compares Sethe this way due to her instinct to protect
her young, and due to the terrible option of slavery, she believed the best means of protecting her
daughter was to kill her. Based on life of Margaret Garner who was notorious for killing her own
daughter with a butcher knife rather than allowing her to return to slavery
Dorian attempts to bring pity upon himself by saying he is feels ‘the mad passions of a hunted animal
stirred within him’. This shows how he sees himself as prey, a victim, and increases his selfishness,
making him hard to sympathize with due to the narrative violence.
Could also link to how Wilde would have felt within Victorian society, being a homosexual, he
would have been ‘hunted’ and later is humiliated in court (Judge Richard Henn Collins) when The
9th Marquess of Queensberry, the father of Lord Alfred Douglas, had discovered details of his son's
sexual relationship with Wilde and in March left his card at Wilde's club, the Albemarle, accusing
