From self-identification to self-destruction—a mirror image interpretation of dorian gray’s psychic transformation

Abstract

Oscar Wilde, the representative of Aestheticism, is the most controversial figure in English literary history. The Picture of Dorian Gray, as his first and only novel, has been the object of study for a long time. The study of the protagonist from the psychoanalytic angle is still new and has potential research value for its in-depth analysis. According to Lacanian mirror theory, the self-construction of an individual is formed under the influence of the other’s mirror image. In the novel, under the influence of all the elements, Dorian experiences the psychic transformation and gradually ends up in self-destruction after alienating his self-identification. The thesis aims to explore the critical mirrors in the process pf Dorian’s transformation in the light of Lagan’s theory so that the understanding the protagonist can be expanded.