Shadowing Practice: 'The Picture of Dorian Gray': An Introduction - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Hello everyone.
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The following presentation is an introduction to Oscar Wilde's novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray,
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as part of the Gray 12 English Home Language Syllabus.
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The information in this presentation is not examinable, but it is important for your understanding of the context of the novel.
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I would also like to note that there are various film adaptions of the novel.
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However, the film versions are significantly different to the novel.
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It is advisable that you do not substitute your reading and studying of the novel with merely watching the films.
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You might land up confusing characters and events that do not actually occur in the novel.
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The picture of Dorian Gray takes place during the Victorian era.
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The Victorian age covered the period of Queen Victoria's reign over the years 1837 to 1901.
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During this period, Britain was the most powerful empire across the whole world, economically and in terms of its military.
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During the Victorian era, many medical and scientific breakthroughs occurred.
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This was also the period of the Industrial Revolution.
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During the Industrial Revolution, a move from an agricultural society to a more urban society took place.
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During the Victorian era, many changes in social and economic aspects of society took place.
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One of the main characteristics of the time was the rigid class structure in society.
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Society during the Victorian era comprised of three distinct classes.
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Firstly, the working class.
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The working class were made up of people who earned their living through physical labour.
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Secondly, the middle class.
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These people were mostly bankers and office workers.
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Lastly, the upper class who were so wealthy they did not have to work in order to earn a living.
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Their wealth came from investments and inheritance.
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The working class during the Victorian era experienced very poor living and working conditions.
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In the novel we learn that the working class live on the east side of London.
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Their living conditions were often overcrowded and poorly ventilated.
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There were no sewage or drainage systems in their homes, meaning that living conditions were also unhygienic.
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Unlike the middle class, working class workers also included women and children.
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Due to poverty and poor living conditions, most people were malnourished and sickly.
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Unlike the middle and upper class, they did not participate in social entertainment as it was too expensive.
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The working class also had very little opportunity to receive any form of education.
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The middle class only had men providing the income, while women stayed home to raise the children and manage their homes.
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The middle class men consisted of office workers, bankers, shopkeepers, merchants and engineers.
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The middle class had aspirations for upward mobility, meaning that they aspired to be part of the upper class.
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The middle class followed upper class social norms and were very concerned with appearances and perceptions.
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We will learn that the concern for appearances and public perceptions is one of the main themes in the novel.
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As mentioned before, the upper class did not have to work.
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The upper class's extreme wealth came from inherited land or investments.
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The upper class included people from the church and those of nobility.
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In order to create further context, note that during the Victorian era, the following did not exist.
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Cars, which is why horse-drawn carriages are mentioned in the novel.
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Cell phones, ATMs, credit cards,
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television or radio, plastic, computers and aeroplanes.
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Despite not having many things we have today, people of the Victorian era did have banks,
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schools and universities, railways and canal and ocean going ships,
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books and libraries, some form of running water and sanitation but not all classes had it equally,
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trade between many countries around the world and the skills to build multi-story buildings, tunnels and bridges.
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The following is some background to Oscar Wilde, the author of The Picture of Dorian Gray.
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Oscar Wilde was born on the 16th of October 1854.
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His father was a surgeon and his mother was a journalist and poet.
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Wilde studied at Trinity College in Dublin and at Magdalene College in Oxford.
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After he graduated, he moved to London.
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While living in London, Oscar Wilde associated himself with many elite London artists.
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In 1881, he published his first collection of poetry titled Poems.
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Also in 1881, he travelled to the United States of America to deliver a series of lectures on the philosophy of aesthetics.
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The concept of aesthetics is something you need to understand in your studying of this novel.
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What is the concept of aesthetics?
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Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy that deals with questions about what is considered beautiful and questions about what is artistically tasteful.
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In the next slide, I would like to note some of the similarities between Victorian society
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and some of the instances and the characters in the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray.
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The Victorian era was an era of covers.
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A person's reputation became their primary interest and priority.
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The Victorian era was when the image of the English gentleman was formed.
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An English gentleman is a man who is well-mannered, well-educated and well-dressed.
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As people began to care more about their reputation, a lot of hypocrisy was the result.
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People began to hide their darkest desires and their misdeeds while presenting a respectable face to the public.
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This is exactly what we will encounter with the character of Dorian Gray, as he lands up doing just the same.
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The idea of hiding one's true self from society highlights one of the main themes in the picture of Dorian Gray,
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which is appearance vs reality.
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In the novel, the following themes appear.
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Beauty and youth, appearance vs reality, art, morality or good vs evil, and class relations.
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Keep these themes and what occurrences in the novel illustrate each of these themes in mind.
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This will help you in your answering any potential essay questions.
Context & Background
The video titled "The Picture of Dorian Gray: An Introduction" provides insights into Oscar Wilde's renowned novel while contextualizing it within the Victorian era. The speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding the novel's background rather than relying solely on film adaptations, which can often misrepresent characters and events. The Victorian period, spanning from 1837 to 1901 under Queen Victoria's reign, is characterized by immense social, economic, and technological changes. Class disparities played a significant role in shaping the societal norms of the time, influencing the themes present in Wilde's work.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- “It is advisable that you do not substitute your reading…” - A useful phrase for discussing the importance of original material versus adaptations.
- “Many changes in social and economic aspects of society took place.” - Great for conversations about historical or sociocultural shifts.
- “They did not participate in social entertainment…” - This expression can help convey ideas about social classes and their lifestyles.
- “The middle class aspired for upward mobility.” - A key phrase for discussing personal ambition or societal aspirations.
- “Their wealth came from investments and inheritance.” - Helpful when explaining financial concepts or class structures.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
To effectively improve your speaking skills while learning English using this video, consider the following shadowing steps:
- Select a Shadowing App: To enhance your experience, choose a shadowing app that allows you to play the video while displaying subtitles. Such apps can facilitate smoother practices of shadow speech.
- Watch and Listen: Begin by watching the video without interruption. Focus on the speaker’s tone, pace, and clarity. This will help you get a sense of the conversational flow.
- Repeat in Real-time: Play the video again, this time attempting to repeat the phrases after the speaker. Use the shadowspeak technique to imitate not just the words, but also the nuances of speech.
- Practice Chunking: Break down the sentences into smaller parts. Focus on mastering each chunk before moving on to the next, ensuring proper pronunciation and rhythm.
- Record Yourself: Use your shadowing app to record your practice sessions. Listening to your recordings will provide insight into your strengths and areas needing improvement. This feedback loop is vital for mastering the nuances of the English language.
By integrating these practices into your daily routine, you can effectively learn English with YouTube content while embracing the rich literature and historical context presented in classic works like Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.