"The Picture of Dorian Gray," Vocabulary from Chapters 17-20

Being sixty, the duke could look physically tired. He could also look jaded ("dulled by surfeit") because he indulges his appetites so that he is excessively full. In the example sentence, he is at a tea party, and his jaded look could be due to boredom, because he is more interested in insects than people.

Lord Henry is responding to this point from the duchess: "Ugliness is one of the seven deadly sins, then?" Although he convinced Dorian that beauty gives people the power to sin, he enjoys twisting words around, so what he says isn't always what he believes. According to Basil, Lord Henry is ashamed of seeming virtuous: "You never say a moral thing, and you never do a wrong thing. Your cynicism is simply a pose." (Cynicism is the belief in the worst of human nature and motives).

The word is used today mostly as an adjective that means "not plain; decorative or ornamented." But the example sentence (and the rest of the novel) connects more to the word's roots. Originally a contraction of "fantasy," it referred to an "illusory appearance" but can also mean "something many people believe that is false" or "see in one's mind." It can also mean "a predisposition to like something" (this can be seen in how Dorian "had rather taken a fancy" to Lord Henry).

The example sentence focuses on physical grace; this is how the novel mostly uses the word (including its adjectival forms of "graceful" and "gracious"). But grace can also be "the free and unmerited favor of God" (Sybil's description of Dorian as "my god of graces"). Its descriptions of character (correct behavior, kindness, compassion, honor) are suggested by Wilde in their loss or absence (Alan's fear of disgrace; the married duchess flirting disgracefully with Dorian).

Although this connection is unlikely to have been intended by Wilde, the root of "herald" is related to "harry": both come from the Proto-Germanic "harja" which means "army." To harry is to "make a pillaging or destructive raid on" or "annoy continually." How wise or cruel was Destiny to send Dorian a Harry? Harry heralds ("foreshadow or presage") Dorian's downfall, as he heralds ("praise vociferously") the power of youthful beauty (which he warns cannot last).

The adjective also means "nicely clothed" but this definition does not fit because the man was "dressed in a coarse shirt and a pair of blue trousers." Neither was the man, a tattooed, rough-like sailor carrying a gun, decent in a way that is "socially correct; refined or virtuous." Most likely, the gamekeeper simply means that James is not ugly (he is the brother of the beautiful Sybil Vane).

The wonderful phrase is: "What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" This strikes Lord Henry as wonderful partly because it came from the lips of a man who seemed uncouth (the Old English "cunnan" means "to know" so an uncouth person lacks knowledge, which can make him seem rude or awkward). The question jars Dorian because it suggests that Lord Henry might've discovered his secret.

The adjective also means "possessing supernatural powers." Lord Henry might've suggested that magical quality when he first told Dorian that "wherever you go, you charm the world." Despite being pleased and delighted by Dorian's appearance, Lord Henry is too strong to fall under anybody's personal spell. When Sybil called Dorian "Prince Charming," she was not only charmed by him, but she was also hoping that he is a fairy tale hero who would carry her off into a happily ever after.