Pretentiousness In The Picture Of Dorian Gray

Words are really just a sequence of noises to which humanity has assigned meaning. Some of these constructed meanings hold different levels of significance to different people. People will often latch onto whatever meaning they can find because it is reassuring to have something, even as seemingly insignificant as a single word, with which they can find a personal connection. In some cases, however, people find significance in a word that has no fondness attached to it. As an example of the latter case, a word that has found significance in my life is “pretentiousness”. “Pretentiousness” is a noun, originating from the French “prétention”; it’s first appearance in the English language was in the mid 19th century as “pretension”. (Oxford University

Although I do not find pretension in her books, but rather her readers, so I will turn to an author whose pretension is in his novels, Oscar Wilde.

Oscar Wilde is perhaps one of the most pretentious people to which I have ever been exposed. Like a lot of pretentious authors, he even uses a fake pen name. His book, The Picture of Dorian Gray, does not only contain homosexual undertones, but it also provides some pretty ostentatious quotes. My favorite in the novel so far is “all art is quite useless” (Wilde, 1890). This, coming from an artist, is an embodiment of pretension. Not only does this criticize his craft, but also anyone who has ever created

The creation of novels, paintings, sculptures, music, and film are not necessarily pretentious by nature. There is, though, pretension in the publishment. The idea that an artist or creator finds their work important enough to be viewed and appreciated by others can be perceived as arrogant and showy. In some cases, this may be true. Successful artists often become grandiloquent and flamboyant, but the work itself is not always a reflection of the artist’s ego; rather, it is a product of it. Another literal definition of “pretentiousness” is “the quality or state of appearing or trying to appear more important or more valuable than is the case” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). This is especially reminiscent of successful artists who sell their work for more than it is actually worth because of the name attached to it. The act of doing this is, by definition, pretentious. That pretentiousness, be that as it may, is required for the artist to make a living. Conversely, labeling an artist as “pretentious” could simply be a way to undermine their work. One modern definition of “pretentious” is “a word that, once applied, unfairly destroys geniuses and their works with one swift and cheap movement of affectation”. (Urban Dictionary, 2004) In illustration, malcontent critics who label others as “pretentious” are often the truly pretentious ones by