Advisory Committee Chair
Daniel Siegel
Advisory Committee Members
Margaret Jessee
Rebecca Bach
Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
1-1-2025
Degree Name by School
Master of Arts (MA) College of Arts and Sciences
Abstract
This thesis examines the cycle of imitation within queer male desire in The Picture of Dorian Gray and Saltburn, arguing that both texts depict an unsustainable pattern in which protagonists mold themselves after an idealized other, leading to obsession, violence, and self-destruction. While Oscar Wilde’s novel encodes queerness within aestheticism and moral decay, Emerald Fennell’s film reconfigures these themes through class ambition and performative sexuality. I explore how both texts present imitation as a dangerous mechanism through which male characters construct their identities, only to find that their self-fashioning is ultimately untenable. This study positions Saltburn as a contemporary rewriting of Dorian Gray, reflecting enduring anxieties about queer identity, power, and the consequences of shaping the self in the image of another. By tracing these thematic parallels, I demonstrate how Wilde’s novel continues to influence modern queer narratives, underscoring the persistent instability of identity when constructed through desire and external validation.
Recommended Citation
Golden, Kylie Marie, "From Portraits to Bathwater: Desire, Imitation, and Violence in The Picture Of Dorian Gray and Saltburn" (2025). All ETDs from UAB. 6840.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/6840
Comments
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