Abstract Much scholarship on Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray has focused on its possible textual sources and its place in literary traditions. This article demonstrates that by contextualizing the novel in the history of art and the tradition of British portraiture, we can answer significant yet overlooked questions, such as why Wilde chose “picture” rather than “portrait” for his title and be better prepared to appreciate the serious themes underlying the fantastical tale. The magical portrait of Dorian is most readily identifiable as a literary gothic motif, yet, in developing his central plot device, Wilde also draws on metaphysical and mystical theories of portraiture current in the British tradition and from throughout the history of art. These, in turn, are rooted in wide-ranging superstitions and other cultural attitudes toward imagery that have proven both influential and enduring. The philosophical symbolism of Wilde’s portrait contributes to a narrative of metaphysical inheritance and an allegory of arrested development through which Wilde can also test certain aesthetic doctrines: these, however cherished, are seen to fail in Dorian’s case.

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关于自己的继承人：英国肖像画，形而上的传承和《多里安·格雷的图片》

摘要奥斯卡·王尔德（Oscar Wilde）的《多利安·格雷图片》（Dorian Gray）图片获得了很多奖学金，重点放在其可能的文本来源及其在文学传统中的地位。本文表明，通过将小说在艺术史和英国肖像画传统中的语境化进行背景化，我们可以回答重要却被忽略的问题，例如王尔德为何选择“图片”而不是“肖像”作为标题，并为欣赏做好了更好的准备梦幻故事背后的严肃主题。多里安的神奇肖像最容易被识别为文学哥特式主题，然而，在发展他的中央情节装置时，王尔德也借鉴了英国传统和整个艺术历史中肖像画的形而上学和神秘主义理论。这些反过来，植根于对图像的广泛迷信和其他文化态度，这些态度已被证明具有影响力和持久性。王尔德肖像的哲学象征主义有助于形而上学的传承叙事，以及关于发展停滞的寓言，通过这些寓言，王尔德还可以检验某些审美学说：无论多珍惜，这些学说在多利安的案例中都是失败的。