The Social Position of Women in The Picture of Dorian Gray and Comparison with Another Literary Character In Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891).
Faglig kvalitetssikret av lærere og toppstudenter · Følger læreplanen (LK20) · Sist oppdatert 2026-10-02
The excerpt below is from the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, which was published in 1891 when women’s position in society was very different than today.
Read the excerpt.
Write a text in which you interpret and discuss the views expressed about women’s social position in the excerpt. Compare this to another female character’s social position in a literary text, film or television series you have studied.
“Who are you in love with?” asked Lord Henry after a pause.
“With an actress,” said Dorian Gray, blushing.
“My dear boy, no woman is a genius. Women are a decorative sex. They never have anything to say, but they say it charmingly. Women represent the triumph of matter over mind, just as men represent the triumph of mind over morals.”
“My dear Dorian, it is quite true. I am analysing women at present, so I ought to know. The subject is not so abstruse as I thought it was. I find that, ultimately, there are only two kinds of women, the plain and the coloured. The plain women are very useful. If you want to gain a reputation for respectability, you have merely to take them down to supper. The other women are very charming. They commit one mistake, however. They paint in order to try and look young. Our grandmothers painted in order to try and talk brilliantly. Rouge and esprit used to go together. That is all over now. As long as a woman can look ten years younger than her own daughter, she is perfectly satisfied. As for conversation, there are only five women in London worth talking to, and two of these can’t be admitted into decent society. However, tell me about your genius. How long have you known her?”
Reference:
The Social Position of Women in The Picture of Dorian Gray and Comparison with Another Literary Character
In Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), the excerpt presented reveals the deeply ingrained views on women's social position during the late 19th century. Lord Henry's comments reflect the widespread societal attitudes toward women, which were largely shaped by restrictive gender norms and expectations of the time. His assertion that "no woman is a genius" and that "women are a decorative sex" underscores the belief that women were seen primarily as objects of beauty and charm, rather than intellectual or moral equals to men. Wilde, through Lord Henry, expresses the view that women were valued for their appearance and the social roles they played, such as the idealized roles of the "plain" or "charming" women, rather than for their talents, intellect, or creativity.
Lord Henry's dismissal of women’s potential for genius and intellectual contribution is particularly telling. His reductive categorization of women into two types — "the plain" and "the coloured" — reflects a society where women were limited to fulfilling specific roles: either as respectable, unremarkable companions or as charming, beautiful objects whose worth was based on their appearance. This reflects the Victorian era's rigid expectations of women: they were expected to conform to strict standards of beauty and conduct, and any attempt to step outside these boundaries was often met with disapproval.
The way Wilde presents Lord Henry’s views on women can be seen as a critique of society's limitations on women's potential. While Lord Henry's remarks are a product of his time, Wilde's inclusion of such opinions in his novel suggests a critique of these views. The contrast between Lord Henry's reductionist view of women and the more complex, layered portrayal of Sibyl Vane in the text invites readers to consider the true potential of women, beyond the constraints of social expectations.
Comparison with Another Female Character: Offred in The Handmaid’s Tale
When comparing the views expressed about women in The Picture of Dorian Gray with the portrayal of women in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale (1985), we see both similarities and stark contrasts in the way women’s social position is addressed.
In The Handmaid’s Tale, set in a dystopian future where women’s rights are severely restricted, the protagonist Offred is forced into the role of a "handmaid," a woman whose sole purpose is to bear children for the ruling class. The treatment of women in Gilead, the totalitarian society in which Offred lives, echoes some of the limiting views expressed by Lord Henry, though in a much more extreme form. Women in Gilead, like those described by Lord Henry, are stripped of their agency and reduced to their biological functions. Just as Lord Henry dismisses women’s intellectual capacity, the regime in The Handmaid’s Tale denies women their right to education, control over their bodies, and a voice in society. Offred’s role as a handmaid is a direct response to the patriarchal and oppressive structures that both Lord Henry’s views and Gilead’s laws enforce.
However, where Wilde’s Lord Henry reduces women to mere objects of beauty and charm, Atwood’s portrayal of women — especially through Offred — highlights their resilience and capacity for subversion, even in the face of extreme oppression. While Offred is trapped in a society that devalues her autonomy, she still maintains her inner life, her memories, and her longing for freedom. In contrast to Lord Henry’s reductionist view, Atwood presents a more complex understanding of women’s strength, showing that even within the strictest of patriarchal systems, women retain the power to think, resist, and seek agency.
Conclusion
Both The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Handmaid’s Tale reflect societal views on women’s roles, but in vastly different contexts. Wilde’s Lord Henry embodies the restrictive, aesthetic-focused views of women’s worth prevalent in the late 19th century, while Atwood's The Handmaid’s Tale takes this reductionism to its logical extreme, illustrating a society where women’s roles are not only decorative but entirely subjugated. However, both works share a critical lens on these societal norms, revealing how such views constrain women’s potential and denying them the opportunity to define their own identities. Through characters like Sibyl Vane and Offred, Wilde and Atwood invite readers to question these limiting social positions and to recognize the inherent value of women beyond physical appearance or societal expectations.