The Picture of Dorian Gray, one of Oscar Wilde's most famous works, also contains a theme of beauty (especially from a homosexual perspective). But what is not talked about as much is The Picture of Dorian Gray's relationship to flower symbolism. In "The Flowers of Dorian Gray, Part Three," on Multo (Ghost) [WordPress website], it talks about how Lilacs bookend the book. The quotes that are cited to "bookend" with lilacs are as such: "The studio was filled with the rich odour of roses, and when the light summer wind stirred amidst the trees of the garden, there came through an open door the heavy scent of the lilac, or the more delicate perfume of the pink-flowering thorn" (Wilde 43), and this quote from Lord Henry: "The park is quite lovely now. I don't think there have been such lilacs since the year I met you" (Wilde 246). These lilacs are present during times in which innocence falls for seduction. Again, Wilde is using flowers---something so stereotypically effeminate---to ponder on sexuality. One can't help but wonder where the "pansy" stereotype of gay men fits into this; was Wilde a prototype?

Sources:

Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. Broadview Editions, edited by Norman Page, 1998.

"The Flowers of Dorian Gray, Part Three." Multo (Ghost), https://multoghost.wordpress.com/2018/02/19/the-flowers-of-dorian-gray-part-three/.