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The controversy surrounding "The Picture of Dorian Gray" when it was released is something that must be taken in context with regard to the moral climate of the Victorian time period. Critics of the time argued the book would corrupt those who read it based on what popular opinion considered abhorrent behavior at the time. Oscar Wilde on the other hand felt the book's overall message was more in tune with popular opinion than his critics, though suggested it wasn't radical enough. The argument hinges on the end of the book and Dorian's suicide.
Critics of the novel were afraid that reading the book would tempt young men into experimenting with homosexuality. At the time homosexuality was considered a deviant behavior or a phase, but certainly not a lifestyle. In fact homosexual acts were criminalized. The book does not explicitly depict Dorian as living a homosexual lifestyle, but it is clearly the implication. The underlying thought behind such criticism is that by reading about......

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Approximate Pages: 4 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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