Jewels and Superstition in The Picture of Dorian Gray (Revised)

In The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, Dorian becomes transfixed with jewels in chapter 11. For this blog post, I researched one specific person Dorian discussed within the novel. I researched the alchemist, Pierre de Boniface.

In chapter 11 of the novel Wilde writes, “According to the great alchemist, Pierre de Boniface, the diamond rendered a man invisible, and the agate of India made him eloquent. The cornelian appeased anger, and the hyacinth provoked sleep, and the amethyst drove away the fumes of wine”(Wilde 99). Wilde continues on through this section of the passage by listing more superstitious ideas that people connected with gemstones. Though I didn’t find an extensive amount of research on Pierre de Boniface, I was able to determine a few things about Boniface and his superstitions. While conducting research, I discovered an article by Lisa Hopkins entitled “Beautiful Scars: Jewels in English Renaissance Drama”. In this article, Hopkins discusses the why Wilde might have included Boniface’s superstitious philosophy in the gemstone chapter of The Picture of Dorian Gray. Hopkins writes, “Wilde lifted this pretty much wholesale from William Jones’ History and Mystery of Precious Stones, which gives a doubtful reference in Nostradamus as the source of the supposed comments by Boniface”(Hopkins 13). Basically, Boniface, though confident about his ideas regarding jewels, was clearly hopeful that his superstitions were scientifically-based. Hopkins points out how Boniface’s claims were even seen as being “doubtful” when he presented them in the 14th century.

Boniface’s idea about superstitions mirrors Dorian’s superstition and obsessions within the novel. The in-depth description of jewels and the superstitions behind them is significant to the story because it represents Dorian’s beauty and fascinations with superstitious ideas. The yellow book that Dorian becomes so intrigued by and passionate about becomes a superstitious object. He lets the book completely take over his life and, for a while, uses the book to form his opinions and makes decisions about himself and others. Because he puts so much power into an inanimate object, Wilde shows how superstition about the power of objects (books, jewels, and beauty) can become a very powerful aspect of people’s lives. Wilde concludes chapter 11 by stating, “Dorian Gray had been poisoned by a book. There were moments when he looked on evil simply as a mode through which he could realize his conception of the beautiful” (Wilde 107).

I think that this entire chapter does undermine Wilde’s claim that all art is “perfectly useless” because  the gemstones, though briefly mentioned, are a powerful symbol throughout the entire novel. The gemstones provide context for the story because they show how Dorian is easily drawn toward ideals of beauty and superstition within society. Jewels are shiny and glamorous minerals that are cut down to a perfect shape. I also think that society’s beauty standards resemble this ideology today. Many of the pictures used in magazines are edited until they fit the standard of beauty. Though the specific beauty standards may have altered over time, the need to fit in with the standards have not.v I think that Wilde includes the gemstone passage to show the strong presence beauty standards and superstitions have within society. Being beautiful can easily be an obsession for people, just like Dorian and his yellow book. So, because these gemstones are featured in the chapters, readers are given the option to broaden their level of analysis within the story and their own lives. This idea makes the art in chapter 11 very useful to those who decide to read this novel,  so in a way it does undermine Wilde’s claim. Art does have a purpose. That purpose just changes depending on who happens to interpret the art.

Works Cited:

Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. New York: Dover Publications, 1993. Print.

Hopkins, Lisa. “Beautiful Scars: Jewels in English Renaissance Drama.”Linguaculture 2012.1 (2012): 9-26.

Link to entire mineral information website: minerals.net