Essay: Explore Literary Classic: The Picture of Dorian Gray in Graphic Novel Form

The classic novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, has been developed into a graphic novel and in this essay, we will be taking a closer look at the writing and illustration process of the novel. We will also look at how the novel compares to the original version. This novel is considered one of the most influential and controversial pieces of literature from the 19th century due to its subject matter. Now that it has been adapted into a graphic novel, younger generations can dive deep into the storyline and experience everything the graphic novel has to offer. The author and illustrator of the Marvel Illustrated Series The Picture of Dorian Gray use simple methods such as inspiration from the original novel, black and white drawings, and some new ideas of their own to capture and explore a new world of literacy and bring the novel to life.
The novel was originally published in the late 19th century by Oscar Wilde. Born in Ireland, Wilde quickly became influential in the Victorian era of literature and also developed greatly and a poet and playwright. He was known not only for his literary works but for his personality which was quite witty and his extremely flamboyant style. With the publishing of The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde opened a new world of controversy when he was accused of homosexuality and later, imprisoned for it. In The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde writes about a man who is outwardly beautiful but internally corrupt in is soul. After a painting is done of the man, it begins to change as he grows more and more corrupt to show the true ugliness of his soul.
Roy Thomas is the author of the graphic novel adaption of The Picture of Dorian Gray and the illustrator is Sebastian Fiumara. Both collaborated side-by-side in creating the graphic novel and “were adapting Oscar Wilde to a new medium, white striving to be faithful to the spirit of the original one” (qtd. in Tabachnick 9). As Thomas was reading the original novel and writing his adaptation, he opened the graphic novel with an introduction of himself and Fiumara, as well as the writing process. He states in the introduction that he had a problem adapting “the long stretches of philosophical rhetoric” in the novel “and for the most part, had to be omitted” because they could not be illustrated (Thomas). What Thomas lacked in philosophical rhetoric, he was able to make up for in the scenes that he visually expanded. Scenes such as the Shakespearean scene with Sybil Vane was only briefly mentioned in the novel but, with the help of Fiumara, the scene became more of a focus point in the novel (Tabachnick 10).
Fiumara’s illustrations in the novel brought the story to life and according to Stephen E. Tabachnick, “produced a far more elegant and dapper Lord Henry than I had ever envisioned” (9). Fiumara was able to retain Lord Henry’s facial expressions and capture his intelligence and witty comments without underlining homosexuality. Fiumara chose black and white to show subtle changes in Dorian’s character and makes clear the influences on Dorian Gray’s behavior. For example, Fiumara illustrates the beauty that Dorian Gray’s character holds in the beginning of the novel and, instead of showing an extremely drastic change after the death of Sybil Vane, shows Dorian’s facial expression grow sterner and, as the novel progresses from there, his face becomes uglier. Tabachnick explains, “[the graphic novel] attracts the reader by its surface beauty, and that the use of shadowy black and white drawings is appropriate for a work much of which, like Dorian’s life, seems to take place in the shadows” (11).
Although the graphic novel seems to be a fantastic adaptation of the novel, there are many downsides to the graphic novel versus the original. Like previously stated, the graphic novel omits much of the philosophical rhetoric found in the original work which, although it cannot be illustrated, is what made the original novel so great to begin with. However, comparing the two works and using them together to learn the story, a reader could have meaningful discussions about Oscar Wilde, his powerful descriptions and the character of Dorian Gray himself. By having the graphic novel available, a reader could choose which version would be more interesting to them. The two versions have very distinct differences, the main being that one is illustrated, but both give a reader the opportunity to read and enjoy a plot line (Tabachnick 12). Not only will having two versions available make it more fun for younger kids, but it will allow a new form of literacy to enter the world and provide different cognitive stimulation than that of a traditional novel. In a graphic novel, one has to examine the illustrated panels as well as read the text. Graphic novels exclude the traditional transitions from scene to scene in a traditional novel so a reader has to create them himself.
The Picture of Dorian Gray, an influential piece of literature, has taken the world by storm and now, with the graphic novel adaptation, the novel has come to life in a more artistic style. With beautiful images and the expansion of small-scale topics in the adaptation, readers are free to let their mind take them to a new world and experience Oscar Wilde in an updated form. With Roy Thomas as the author and Sebastian Fiumara as the illustrator, it seems as though the novel has come to life and allows a reader to retain interest when reading. Although there are many downsides to reading a graphic novel as opposed to reading the original, classic version, the graphic novel opens up a new world of imagination and a new way of understanding the world. Graphic novels are becoming more pronounced in the world today and by adapting classic novels to the graphic novel style, younger readers will be captivated by the stories and over time, the literacy of these readers will become more developed.