Book Notice

Paul- Christoph Trüper:

Physical Flaws – Visible Vices?

Social Inquiries into 
Physicality and Personality in
Oscar Wilde‘s ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ 
(1891)

VDM Verlag Dr. Müller, Saarbrücken (Ger.) 2008 · ISBN 978-3-639-09131-1
Volume: 64 pages · Language: English

International Prices: ¤ 49,00*) · ca. 83 CHF · ca. US$ 64 · ca. CDN$ 77.83 **)
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*) standardised German book price · **) informative, non-binding examples from an internet research (2009)
Note in answer to some requests: A less expensive version could not be presented publishing in this format.

Abstract –  Outline:

The central element of O. Wilde’s novel, Dorian’s portrait, has itself received little critical attention, although the concept of the body as the ‘canvas of conduct’ implicit in its magic is culturally problematic: it presupposes a profound moral framework and a, potentially discriminating, corporal symbolism. Moreover, the motif of the fading portrait characteristically binds eccentric personal development to a segregative notion of ‘decline’.

How can moral failure engrave itself in a face previously “unspotted from the world” ? This study examines how the novel interrelates between physicality and personality, inquires into the historical backgrounds of this perspective and discusses its social and ethical consequences.

It offers additional insights for scholars interested in O. Wilde’s work, the cultural landscape of the late nineteenth century and anti-discrimination or
gender debates.

Key Questions and Concerns: