The Picture of Dorian Gray

A Level 3 Novel Guide

Write well-organized and clear paragraphs

Directions:Match these halves of sentences. Then, put them in order to make a paragraph about the portrait of Dorian Gray.

1)Later, Basil wanted to exhibit the picture in Paris…

2)Basil then tried to destroy the portrait…

3)When Dorian first saw the portrait…

4)He became angry and afraid…

5)Many years later, Basil finally saw the picture…

6)As time passed, Dorian became more evil…

7)The face in the picture began to change…

8)after Dorian had been cruel to Sybil Vane.

9)because the picture would stay young while he grew old.

10)he remembered Lord Henry’s words about his youth.

11)and so Dorian killed him.

12)but Dorian didn’t let him see it.

13)although he knew that it was his best work.

14)and the face in the picture grew more and more terrible.

______

Vocabulary:

Guess the meaning of a word from context clues and word forms. Place the vocabulary words in the cloze passage below. There may be more than one correct answer; not all words will be used.

Beauty/beautiful (noun/ adjective)

Art/artist (noun/ noun)

Horror

Marriage/marry/married (noun/verb/adjective)

Paint (v/n)

Play (v/n)

Science/scientist (noun/noun)

Unconscious

Youth/young (noun/adjective)

Sit/sitter (verb/noun)

Dorian was very ______at the beginning of the book. Basil, the ______, painted a picture of Dorian. The portrait showed a very ______man. When Dorian was young, he loved Sybil Vane. He went to see her in a ______. He planned to ______Sybil; however, they were not ______. Dorian began to change. He became evil inside. To his ______, the painting began to show these changes. He killed several people, including Basil. He asked his friend Alan Campbell, a ______, to help him get rid of Basil’s ______body. In the end, he could not hide his secret anymore and he killed himself.

Understand and use clauses

Directions:Choose the best question word for these questions from chapters 12 and 13. Then answer them using “I don’t know” as your response.

Question word bank: How/What/Where/Why

Example Wherewas Basil going?

a)I don’t know where Basil was going.

1)______had Basil heard about Dorian?

  1. ______

2)______did Dorian take Basil?

  1. ______

3)______did Basil feel when he saw the picture?

  1. ______

4)______did Dorian hate Basil?

  1. ______

5)______did Basil die?

  1. ______

6)______did Alan Campbell feel about Dorian?

  1. ______

7)______did Dorian want Alan to do?

  1. ______

8)______did Dorian want Alan to do?

  1. ______

Understand and use conjunctions and adverbial connectors; write with more advanced sentence structures by combining simple sentences to make compound and complex sentences.

Directions: Choose from the following list of adverbs and conjunctions to create sentences about The Picture of Dorian Gray. Use each word only one time.

Andalthoughwheneverafterbeforeorbut

1)______Basil enjoyed painting, he did not want to show the painting of Dorian to the public.

2)Alan Campbell killed himself ______he helped Dorian destroy Basil’s dead body.

3)Sybil Vane wanted to marry Dorian, ______he changed his mind about marrying her.

4)______Lord Henry spoke, everyone listened and laughed.

5)Dorian didn’t want to get old ______look ugly.

6)______Sybil’s brother left for Australia, he told his mother to take care of Sybil.

7)Dorian became evil ______uncaring.

Directions: Choosing from the same list of adverbs and conjunctions above, combine the sentences below to make one sentence. Delete any unnecessary words.

1) Lord Henry was rich. Lord Henry was handsome.

______

2)Basil was stunned by his painting of Dorian. Dorian showed him how the painting had changed.

______

3)Dorian was a nice young boy. Dorian met Lord Henry.

______

4)Dorian didn’t want to change his habits. Dorian didn’t want to change his ways.

______

5)Sybil’s mother didn’t want her to marry Dorian. Sybil said she would marry him anyway.

______

Identify the main idea of a reading and of the paragraphs; understand the relationships of ideas within a paragraph or between paragraphs.

Directions: Read the paragraph below and answer the questions.

‘Because you’re young, and being young is wonderful. Ah, you smile. You don’t think so now, but one day you’ll understand what I mean – when you’re old, and tired, and no longer beautiful. You have a wonderfully beautiful face, Mr. Gray. It’s true. Don’t shake your head at me. And there’s nothing more important, more valuable than beauty. When your youth goes, your beauty will go with it. Then you’ll suddenly discover that your life is empty – there will be nothing to enjoy, nothing to hope for. Time is your enemy, Mr. Gray. It will steal everything from you. People are afraid of themselves today. Afraid to live. But you, with your face and your youth, there’s nothing that you cannot do. You must live! Live the wonderful life that is in you! We can never be young again. Youth! Ah, there is nothing in the world as important as youth!’

1)What is the main idea of the paragraph above?

  1. It is easy to get old.
  2. Being young and beautiful is important.
  3. Life can be empty if you are ugly.

2)Which of these would be a supporting detail for the idea “Time is your enemy”?

  1. It will steal everything from you.
  2. You have a wonderfully beautiful face, Mr. Gray.
  3. You must live!

3)Which of these sentences does NOT support the idea that life without beauty is empty?

  1. There will be nothing to enjoy, nothing to hope for.
  2. There is nothing more important than beauty.
  3. You have a wonderfully beautiful face, Mr. Gray.

4)Which of the following is true about a supporting detail?

  1. It should give specific information about the main idea.
  2. It should not be very important.
  3. If you remove it from the paragraph, your paragraph will still make sense.

5)What do you think is the best choice for the main idea or theme of The Picture of Dorian Gray?

  1. Being young is the most important thing.
  2. Looking beautiful outside does not mean you are beautiful inside.
  3. Murder is illegal.

Identify pronoun referents

Directions: Read the sentences below. Then decide which proper noun the pronoun refers to.

1)Lord Henry looked at Basil’s face before he spoke.

  1. Lord Henry
  2. Basil

2)Dorian stood and listened. He could hear nothing.

  1. Dorian
  2. Nothing

3)Dorian remembered that the portrait was uncovered. He turned to cover it.

  1. Dorian
  2. The portrait

4)When Lord Henry returned home, there was a letter for him on the table. It said that Dorian Gray would marry Sybil Vane.

  1. Lord Henry
  2. Dorian Gray
  3. The letter

5)At that moment Basil called to them from the house. Lord Henry turned to Dorian.

  1. Lord Henry and Dorian
  2. Dorian and Basil

6)I turned and saw Dorian Gray for the first time. We looked at each other.

  1. Dorian Gray and I
  2. Dorian Gray

7)It was long past midday when Dorian woke up. His servant brought him his tea and letters, but he did not read them.

  1. His servant
  2. Dorian
  3. Letters

8)The heavy mouth, the yellow skin, the cruel eyes – these told the real story.

  1. The men
  2. Mouth, skin, eyes
  3. Dorian

Understand and use gerunds and infinitives

A gerund is a noun made from a verb by adding –ing.

An infinitive is the “to” form of the verb.

Either can be used as the subject, object, or complement of a sentence. Subjects and complements are more commonly gerunds; objects can either be gerunds or infinitives depending on the verb.

Identify

Directions: Identify whether the sentence contains a gerund or an infinitive. Write “gerund” or “infinitive” in the blank next to the sentence.

1)I prefer not to be beautiful. ______

2)Destroying the portrait was difficult for Dorian. ______

3)Lord Henry enjoys talking. ______

4)“I would love to come,” he said. ______

5)You promised to see Basil this afternoon. ______

Select

Directions: Choose whether a gerund or infinitive form of the verb makes the most sense in the blank. Circle the correct answer.

1)Dorian kept ( to think / thinking ) about Sybil Vane after he went to the theatre.

2)Basil completed ( to paint / painting) the portrait of Dorian.

3)Sybil Vane hoped ( to marry / marrying ) Dorian Gray.

4)Lord Henry planned ( to change / changing ) Dorian’s mind.

5)Sybil imagined ( to work / working ) as an actress.

6)Dorian suggested ( to destroy / destroying) Basil’s body to Alan Campbell.

7)Basil refused ( to believe / believing ) that Dorian was evil.

8)James Vane waited ( to kill / killing) Dorian Gray.

About Oscar Wilde – reading and learning

Directions: Read the short biography of Oscar Wilde. Highlight or underline any vocabulary you think is confusing. Look the vocabulary words up in your dictionary and write them in the space on the next page.

Oscar Wilde (Oscar FingalO'Flahertie Wills Wilde) was born in Dublin on 16 October 1854 to Sir William Wilde and his wife Jane. Oscar's mother, Lady Jane Francesca Wilde (1820-1896), was a successful poet and journalist. She wrote patriotic Irish verse under the pseudonym "Speranza". Oscar's father, Sir William Wilde (1815 - 1876), was a leading ear and eye surgeon, a renowned philanthropist and gifted writer, who wrote books on archaeology and folklore. Oscar had an elder brother, Willie, and a younger sister, Isola Francesca, who died at the early age of 10.
Oscar Wilde was educated at Portora Royal School, Enniskillen, County Fermanagh (1864-71), Trinity College, Dublin (1871-74) and Magdalen College, Oxford (1874-78). While at Oxford, he became involved in the aesthetic movement and became an advocate for 'Art for Art's Sake' (L'art pour l'art). While at Magdalen, he won the 1878 Newdigate Prize for his poem Ravenna.

After he graduated, he moved to Chelsea, in London (1879), to establish a literary career. In 1881, he published his first collection of poetry - 'Poems' that received mixed reviews by critics. He worked as art reviewer (1881), lectured in the United States and Canada (1882), and lived in Paris (1883). He also lectured in Britain and Ireland (1883 - 1884). From the mid-1880s he was regular contributor for Pall Mall Gazette and Dramatic View.
On May 29, 1884, Oscar married Constance Lloyd (died 1898), daughter of wealthy Queen's Counsel Horace Lloyd. They had two sons, Cyril (1885) and Vyvyan (1886). To support his family, Oscar accepted a job as the editor of Woman's World magazine, where he worked from 1887-1889. In 1888 he published The Happy Prince and Other Tales, fairy-stories written for his two sons. His first and only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, was published in 1891 and received quite a negative response. This had much to do with the novel's homoerotic overtones, which caused something of a sensation amongst Victorian critics. In 1891 Wilde began an affair with Lord Alfred Douglas, nicknamed 'Bosie', who became both the love of his life and his downfall. Wilde's marriage ended in 1893.

Wilde's greatest talent was for writing plays, his first play, 'Lady Windermere's Fan,' opened in February 1892. He produced a string of extremely popular comedies including 'A Woman of No Importance' (1893), 'An Ideal Husband (1895)' and 'The Importance of Being Earnest' (1895). These plays were all highly acclaimed and firmly established Oscar as a playwright.
In April 1895, Oscar sued Bosie's father for libel as the Marquis of Queensberry had accused him of homosexuality. Oscar's case was unsuccessful and he was himself arrested and tried for gross indecency. He was sentenced to two years hard labor for the crime of sodomy. During his time in prison he wrote De Profundis, a dramatic monologue and autobiography, which was addressed to Bosie.
Upon his release in 1897, he wrote “The Ballad of Reading Gaol”, revealing his concern for inhumane prison conditions. He spent the rest of his life wandering Europe, staying with friends and living in cheap hotels. He died of cerebral meningitis on November 30, 1900, penniless, in a cheap Paris hotel.

MY VOCABULARY WORDS:

Extension Activities

1)Look up the word “consequence.” The Picture of Dorian Gray shows that people cannot escape the consequences of their actions. Do you agree? Why or why not?

2)People often think they would give anything if they could just…… How would you complete the sentence “I would do anything if it meant I could…..” ?

3)People today go through a lot of trouble to stay looking young. How much money do you think is spent each year on beauty products? Research this question on the Internet and tell why you think people spend so much money to try and stop the process of getting older.

4)Basil paints a picture that shows what Dorian looks like inside. Paint or draw a picture of yourself that shows who you are on the inside – what would we be surprised to know about you?