Interpreting The Picture Of Dorian Gray From The Perspective Of Nietzsche’s Aesthetics Of Tragedy

This thesis mainly interpreters Apollonian and Dionysian dialogic relationship from the perspective of Nietzsche’s aesthetics of tragedy to analyze Oscar Wilde’s representative work The Picture of Dorian Gray. Nietzsche’s The Birth of Tragedy provides the supportive theoretical framework to the thesis. Two Hellenic gods, Apollo and Dionysus, play the role of savior for human beings to make the ascent of Nietzsche’s aesthetics of tragedy. Apollonian spirit represents plastic art, moderation and self-control. The Dionysian spirit links music, indulgence, excess, self-deny and self-lost. Apollonian mask covers the true essence of Dionysian art and the truth of living. The thesis uses Nietzsche’s aesthetics of tragedy from the perspective of dialogic relationship between Apollonian art and Dionysian art to illustrate the two impulses of art that reflects in The Picture of Dorian Gray.Nietzsche’s aesthetics of tragedy is irrational. Human beings’living instinct and primordial impulse are basis and motivation for art and culture’s essence and development. Nietzsche strongly criticizes Socratics’rationality and even puts Dionysian art above Socratics’rationality and logic wisdom and points out that modern symptom of20th century of society is due to the decline and failure of human beings’life instinct. Nietzsche has helped human beings to find out the way to rejuvenate western culture and art renaissance, which is Dionysian art and spirit in Hellenic civilization. Apollo is the illustrator of Hellenic dream who represents the holy image of principium individuationis. The Apollonian is not only the god of plastic art, prophecy, dream and virtue, but also the symbol of all beautiful illusions and dream. Apollonian art is so exterior that illustrates human beings’spiritual instinct to pursuer beautiful world and life, which makes life very meaningful and worthy living. Apollo is parallel with the necessity of appreciation beauty as well. Dionysian art is opposite to Apollonian art. It is indulgences and excess for human beings’s wild emotion and desire. Dionysian art is not only the root of tragedy but also the primitive immoral living force. World’s essence and root of suffering belong to Dionysian art, and it symbols life’s freedom and liberation. Dionysian art is not only the symbol of life’s freedom and liberation, which is cryptic, but also the eternal suffering and conflict. Dionysian art is life’s eternal regression. Dream and drunkenness are direct expression of Apollonian art and Dionysian art. The essence of Dionysian art is basic union between human beings and nature, which is called world’s Dionysian basis by Nietzsche. Apollonian art is to affirm human being’s appearance, while Dionysian art is to affirm human being’s strong will, Nietzsche stresses life’s eternal Dionysian force and desire, at the same time to deny Christian doctrine and creed. Nietzsche holds the idea that tragedy is the highest art to affirm life, including life’s suffering and destruction. From life’s tragedy to get tragic pleasure is not only Nietzsche’s tragic worldview but also the nuclear gist of Dionysian art and wisdom.Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray reflects fierce conflict and perfect combination between Apollonian art and Dionysian art at the same time. The antithesis of Apollo and Dionysus consists of basic structure of tragedy. In Hellenic tragedy, emotions and music belong to Dionysian arts, while language and dialectics are Apollonian art. The combination of dual artistic impulse is tragedy. Apollonian art and Dionysian art are deeply rooted in human beings’instinct. The Birth of Tragedy is struggle and union between Apollonian worldview and Dionysian worldview in positive-anti-evolution. The truth of tragedy is Apollonian hero to break away the limit towards Dionysian world without rational force. Nietzsche’s aesthetics of tragedy is from fierce struggle and conflict between Apollonian art to Dionysian art to perfect the reconciliation and union of artistic eternal duality. The Picture of Dorian Gray is laden with Nietzsche’s aesthetics of tragedy. The thesis gives tentative interpretation The Picture of Dorian Gray from the perspective of Nietzsche’s aesthetics of tragedy. The thesis begins with art’s resource, function and its meaning to individual life from Nietzsche’s two dominant arts:Apollonian worldview and Dionysian worldview to interpret their profound values and meanings in The Picture of Dorian Gray, so as to give elaborative analysis and research of Nietzsche’s aesthetics of tragedy.