You Can’t Censor G(r)ay: A Deep Dive into Oscar Wilde
The first time I read the Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde, I read the censored version. Even upon finishing that edition, where the explicitly homosexual language was cut and butchered without Wilde’s knowledge or consent, it was abundantly clear to me that Basil was gay and in love with Dorian. I found this incredibly inspiring. A publisher had tried to prune the queerness from Wilde’s writing, and the task had proven itself impossible. Cutting explicit dialogue would never be enough because Wilde wove elements of his identity and life into every fiber of his art. This made it impossible for society to ignore him. His stories continue to be told, never brushing over his sexuality, and inspiring other queer writers with every reading.
For those who haven’t read The Picture of Dorian Gray, please do. I know the density of 19th-century language can be intimidating, but you won’t regret it. I dragged my feet through it the first time I read it, but when I reached the end, I had to admit its brilliance. That final scene will always stay with me. I recently read the uncensored version and loved it even more. It is truly one of the most beautiful books I’ve read. The aesthetic ideas of “art for art’s sake” are evident in it. But, if you want to finish this article without taking a 65,105-word interlude, I’ve included a summary.
It begins in the studio of Basil, a talented artist. He has found a new muse in a young man named Dorian Gray and is discussing him with his friend, Lord Henry. During this visit, Henry and Dorian meet each other, Henry begins to manipulate Dorian’s susceptible, innocent mind, and Basil paints his masterpiece: a portrait of Dorian. Under Henry’s influence, Dorian wishes that the portrait would grow old and bear the brunt of his sins, while he would remain forever young and untouched by troubles. He gets his wish and takes full advantage of it. Wilde focuses on themes of vanity, morality, and the values of beauty and intellect. By the end of the story, Dorian has developed a reputation for debauchery and evil deeds, going so far as to murder Basil. He attempts to atone for what he’s done by destroying the portrait, now weary with age, twisted with cruelty, and covered in blood, and in the process, ends his own life.
Wilde starts including homoerotic subtext from the get-go, though it isn’t apparent upon first read. The novel begins with the sentence: “The studio was filled with the rich odour of roses, and when the light summer wind stirred amidst the trees of the garden there came through the open door the heavy scent of the lilac, or the more delicate perfume of the pink-flowering thorn.” It opens with a flourish, drawing the reader into a world of Victorian dandyism. It’s a tranquil scene, such a stark contrast to how the story will end, but remember that this is Wilde’s writing, so this single sentence is a significant moment of foreshadowing. Flowers held special significance in the Victorian times. They had assigned meanings and were often used to send secret messages to lovers, friends, or enemies. Wilde left his mark on the language of flowers in the form of the green carnation, now recognized as a symbol for Wilde himself, as well as homosexuality. Therefore, it cannot be a coincidence that the flowers he chose to open his novel are laden with romantic contexts.
It all begins with a rose, the classic symbol of love. However, he keeps the color hidden. I think any color works in this case. The white rose reflects Dorian’s starting innocence and Basil’s love and pure artistic devotion. In contrast, a passionate red rose suggests what is to come with Dorian’s infatuation with Lord Henry and disastrous flings. Knowing Wilde, it’s likely both at once. By mentioning one flower, he is able to foreshadow the various types of love his characters have for one another. To cut this, you would need to take out every mention of a flower, and when the story opens in a garden, that simply isn’t feasible. Take that publishers.
Lilacs can either represent the first emotions of love or be a reminder of an old love. I think the first emotions of love are more fitting in this case, as Basil’s feelings for Dorian quickly become clear in this chapter. It also foreshadows Dorian’s introduction to Lord Henry and how quickly he becomes enamored by the hedonistic ideas that Henry plants. On top of that, lilacs were worn by widows in this era as a symbol of memory, adding that necessary touch of tragedy. I’m tempted to think of this flower as a direct symbol of Dorian’s character arc. White lilacs symbolize the purity and innocence of youth, and when associations of first love and loss follow this up, you can see the outlines of Dorian’s story taking shape. He gathers lots of attention from both women and men, while his own fancies are fleeting and end in heartbreak (on the part of the other person.)
Even the thorns reveal details about each character and their journeys. Pink flowers represent grace, joy, and innocence, continuing Wilde’s allusions to Dorian’s youthful innocence at this point. The thorns themselves symbolize sacrifice and adversary. They paint a picture of pain and pleasure, a relationship dealt with in this chapter through Basil’s experience. He’s terrified that Dorian meeting Henry will lead to losing him—and he’s completely right—but he lets it happen anyway. When he paints Dorian’s portrait, he puts all his love into it, I think hoping that he can capture his essence before Henry can dig his claws into him. But of course, it ends up going the opposite way. Dorian uses the portrait for his personal gain, discovering the limits of his pleasure, and leaving pain wherever he goes. Basil’s love—and eventually his life—are sacrificed for this to happen.
Wilde continues his pattern of showing character through flowers throughout the rest of the chapter. A few paragraphs into it, right before Lord Henry’s introduction, a laburnum tree is mentioned. Laburnum has a bright golden yellow flower, mirroring Lord Henry’s charisma. It represents thoughtful beauty and pensive thought, things Henry values, partakes in himself, and encourages in others. It has a darker side, too. The toxins in the tree lead to its meaning in the language of flowers: forsaken. Wilde uses the placement of laburnum to hint at the poison that swims beneath Lord Henry’s beautiful exterior and pretty words. Its arrival in a bouquet in Victorian times meant that you were about to be forsaken, as Basil is by Dorian, and eventually Dorian is by the rest of society.
Wilde’s wit and skill with language are evident in the first sentence of his novel alone and continue throughout the rest of the story. Everything foretold by the flowers he places in the first sentence comes to pass. To a Victorian reader familiar with the language of flowers, the hidden meanings would be even more obvious. By utilizing so much symbolism for love right out of the gate, Wilde makes it impossible to ignore the erotic tension existing between his three characters. However, this wasn’t cut by the publisher. I believe this is because this is just one, tiny instance of Wilde’s genius usage of symbolism. They were fighting a losing battle. It would be impossible to entirely remove the queer subtext from Wilde’s writing because it would be removing everything that makes it beautiful. Despite the censorship, Wilde still faced immense backlash from British society. He was tried for sodomy and served two years of hard labor in prison when accusations of his homosexual actions were brought forward by the father of a man he was seeing. He spent the last few years of his life in exile in France. While his reputation did not recover during his lifetime, he cemented his place as a writer who would stand the test of time—whose queer identity and literary themes history could not ignore, unlike so many others. He established a record for undeniable queer brilliance that does not shy away from itself.
I hope that Wilde’s story and his writing will continue to inspire queer writers into the future. He is proof that while we face barriers and adversaries, we will not be forgotten or silenced. I think that is especially important to remember now as an unprecedented wave of book bannings, and homophobic and transphobic legislation sweeps the U.S. I encourage my fellow queer writers to never censor themselves and to fight back when others try to take our voice away. Our writing has the ability to outlast these times.
Works Cited
Evans, Linsay. “Laburnum’s Lure: Exploring the Symbolism of the Golden Rain Tree.” Petal Republic, 28 Oct. 2023, www.petalrepublic.com/laburnum-flower-meaning/.
FlowerMeaning.com Editors. “Lilac Flower Meaning.” Flower Meaning, 21 Mar. 2017, www.flowermeaning.com/lilac-flower-meaning/.
Lovingly Editors. “Lilac.” Lovingly, 24 Jan. 2023,
www.lovingly.com/featured-content/flower-meanings/lilac/.
Meier, Allison. “The Secret Victorian Language of Flowers.” Hyperallergic, 19 Aug. 2021, hyperallergic.com/129541/the-secret-victorian-language-of-flowers/.
Oscar Wilde Tours. “‘Why the Green Carnation?’” Oscarwildetours.Com, 2022, www.oscarwildetours.com/our-symbol-the-green-carnation/.