On Dorian Gray: “Mr Oscar Wilde has again been writing stuff that were better unwritten; and while The Picture of Dorian Gray…is ingenious, interesting, full of cleverness, and plainly the work of a man of letters, it is false art—for its interest is medico-legal; it is false to human nature—for its hero is a devil, it is false to morality—for it is not made sufficiently clear that the writer does not prefer a course of unnatural iniquity to a life of cleanliness, health and sanity. The story—which deals with matters only fit for the Criminal Investigation Department or a hearing in camera—is discreditable alike to author an[d] editor. Mr. Wilde has brains, and art, and style; but if he can write for none but outlawed noblemen and perverted telegraph-boys, the sooner he takes to tailoring (or some other decent trade) the better for his own reputation and the public morals.” (Anon)

” Opium and other narcotic drugs played an important part in Victorian life… Opium preparations were sold freely in towns and country markets… The 1868 Pharmacy Act attempted to control the sale and supply of opium-based preparations by ensuring that they could only be sold by registered chemists. However this was largely ineffective, as there was no limit on the amount the chemist could sell to the public… The Victorian attitude to opium was complex. The middle and upper classes saw the heavy use of laudanum among the lower classes as ‘misuse’ of the drug; however their own use of opiates was seen as no more than a ‘habit’… The end of the 19th century saw the introduction of a new pain reliever, aspirin. By this time many doctors were becoming concerned about the indiscriminate use of laudanum and its addictive qualities… There was now a growing anti-opium movement. The public viewed the smoking of opium for pleasure as a vice practised by Orientals, an attitude fuelled by sensationalist journalism and works of fiction such as Sax Rohmer’s novels. These books featured the evil arch villain Dr Fu Manchu, an Oriental mastermind determined to take over the Western world.” (Historic UK)

Anon. [Review of] The Picture of Dorian Gray. The Scots Observer. 5 July 1890.

Castelow, Ellen. “Opium in Victorian Britain.” Historic UK, www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/Opium-in-Victorian-Britain/.

Theatre Image: https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/19th-century-theatre

Opium Den Image: https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/Opium-in-Victorian-Britain/