For the Ignatius Study Guide for The Picture of Dorian Gray, click here.
In true Faustian tradition The Picture of Dorian Gray tells the tale of a young man who sells his soul to the devil in return for youthful immortality, only to discover that the "devil's bargain" is no bargain at all. "What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?"
When Dorian Gray is asked this question he knows the answer. He has learned his lesson the hard way and has added the destroyed lives of others into the bargain. The moral is inescapable, making The Picture of Dorian Graymore than merely a classic of Victorian literature. It is a classic of Christian literature also. This edition of Wilde's novel is edited by Joseph Pearce, author of The Unmasking of Oscar Wilde, and contains critical essays that look at the work from a tradition-oriented perspective.
A look at the essays
Now and again a critical take from yesteryear has an importance or such sparkling clarity of observation that we can't help but include it in the Ignatius Critical Edition of the work. For Wilde's novel, we've included classic criticism from the great Walter Pater.
A wide-ranging survey of the strands of literature that Wilde has hold of in this novel is given by Richard Harp. The overriding question of conscience, meanwhile, is addressed by Dominic Manganiello, who points particularly to Cardinal Newman as a source for the picture that emerges.
Brian Vickers takes on the tale of conscience as one of influence: who influenced Dorian, who he influenced, and how it all leads to the tragic end.
Joseph Pearce situates the reader with the introductory essay.
