Author: Oscar Wilde
Website: http://www.cmgww.com/historic/wilde/
Adapted By: Roy Thomas
Website: No adapter website
Illustrated By: Sebastian Fiumara
Website: http://sebafiumara.blogspot.com/
Media Used: Pencil, ink, and wash
Summary: Dorian Gray, a handsome man in his prime, trades his soul to ensure that he will always have his youth. His portrait ages in his stead, a testament to the black marks he puts on his soul.
Personal Thoughts (provided by S.Butts): The ghastly decline of Dorian Gray is depicted artfully in this graphic novel adaptation. Oscar Wilde's own narration and dialog are used within the frames, so while the illustrations flesh out the story, the reader is still able to feel the intent of the original. Given the strong visual element of this particular story, I wondered how the creators would handle these important aspects. I was not disappointed - Fiumara's interpretation of Dorian has all of the lovely physical attributes Wilde imbued him with, and the painting, as it ages, becomes truly ghoulish without being over-the-top. The lush colors and perspective choices (a close up of Dorian's mouth, the blood on the painting's hand) add force to the carefully selected text that accompany each page. Due to the drug use, sexuality, and violent episodes illustrated and discussed, this book is appropriate for older teens.
"The Classics Revisited" Group Project - Check out our group's presentation of this and other literary classic graphic novel adaptations that we have suggested for high school students.
Use of Personification: "In her dealings with man, Destiny never closed her accounts."
Curricular Connections: High School Literature
This book could be read in a high school literature class, either in parallel with the original, along with one of Wilde's other pieces, or as part of a section on Victorian or Gothic literature. Unlike some graphic adaptations, this novel can stand on its own, without prior knowledge of the canon.
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