Oscar Wilde's novel The Picture of Dorian Gray is written primarily from the aesthetic movement of the nineteenth century. Therefore, the text contains a profuse amount of images that reflect concepts of beauty and sensory experiences. By adopting an aesthetic approach, Wilde was able to revive the Gothic style through grotesque images of the portrait and the character whose soul he represents. Wilde does not use gothic elements to shock his audience; rather he uses the Gothic to capture the horror of Gray's corruption that shines through in the painting and in the tone of the entire text. Wilde begins to create the mood of the text with excessive descriptions of nature and natural beauty: "The study was filled with the rich smell of roses, and when the light summer wind stirred among the trees of the garden, through the open door came the heavy scent of lilac, or the more delicate scent of pink-flowered thorn" (Wilde 5). While this description hardly resembles the language of Gothic, the use of nature creates a contrast with the darker tones that appear later in the text. The theme of nature is also present in the descriptions of Dorian Gray, who at this point in the text has not been corrupted by the influences of Lord Henry Wotton or his pursuit of pleasure and experience. Not only is Gray described as someone who encompasses the beauty of a flower, but he is also a representation of the flower itself. As Lord Henry describes, Gray is "a wonderful, mindless creature, who should always be here in winter when [there are] no flowers to look at" (7). Wilde extends this floral allusion with the metaphor of man growing old and beauty dying with age. Like a flower, Dorian's beauty will fade, wither, in... middle of the paper... their final debut in the twisted demise of Dorian Gray: "He was withered, wrinkled and repulsive of face" (213 ) recognizable only by the rings on his fingers. Although the audience is invariably aware of the corruption from which Gray's soul suffers, Wilde's use of Gothic language suggests the extent of his malice. The painting might have held Gray's soul, but the scope of his horrific actions overwhelms Gray, and the true nature of his soul, depicted through the "living" portrait, inevitably shines through in Gray's pleasant reality and the tone of the entire text. If it weren't for the gothic elements, readers would not be fully aware of the depravity of Gray's soul. Wilde uses darkness to contrast the naive purity of Gray's facade, which although appears unmarked fails to hide the ugliness of his soul.Works CitedWilde, Oscar. "The Picture of Dorian Gray