Setting

I am currently on page 15 of The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde. This puts me about a chapter and a half into the novel. The setting of the novel is in England, as emphasized by the description of Englishmen used in the novel. "'How English you are, Basil! If one puts forward an idea to a real Englishman,— always a rash thing to do,—he never dreams of considering whether the idea is right or wrong. The only thing he considers of any importance is whether one believes it one’s self'" (Wilde 9). This establishes the general location of a novel, while also characterizing the culture. As Lord Henry describes, the people in England are very stubborn and opinionated. They typically do not take time to appreciate the little things in life and always jump to the bigger picture, and their predetermined opinions of it. This could create conflict within the story. The characters also mention Oxford, a prominent English university. This establishes a theme of intelligence. Intelligence is a positive attribute, but when combined with the stubbornness mentioned above, it could lead to even larger conflict. The specific setting of the plot up to this point has taken place in Basil Hallward's art studio. This studio is also commonly referred to as a garden. The opening sentence to the novel describes this room; “The studio was filled with the rich odor of roses, and when the light summer wind stirred amidst the trees of the garden there came through the open door the heavy scent of the lilac, or the more delicate perfume of the pink flowering thorn” (5). This immanent nature contrasts with the strict beliefs that Englishmen are said to hold. Nature is representative of more free-thinking than Lord Henry believe's Basil possesses. This will be an interesting interaction to watch develop throughout the plot.