The Picture of Dorian Gray
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4.0 • 1 Rating
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
A Step 5 Reading and Training graded reader, retold by Gina D.B. Clemen. When the superbly handsome Dorian Gray sees his portrait he makes a terrible wish: that the portrait will grow older and that he will remain young forever. What happens to the portrait that no one ever sees? A disturbing story of a man who is willing to sell his soul for eternal youth while pursuing pleasure and passion.
This reader uses the "Expansive Reading"approach, where the text becomes a springboard to improve language skills and to explore historical background, cultural connections and other topics suggested by the text. As well as the story, this reader contains:
• Wide range of interactive activities practising the four skills
• FCE-style interactive activities and Trinity-style interactive activities (Grades 7/8)
• Dossiers: The Aesthetic Movement and Oscar Wilde’s London •A recording of parts of the text
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
First published in 1890 in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine and the following year in novel form, The Picture of Dorian Gray categorically changed Victorian Britain and the landscape of literature. An ostentatious, self-confessed aesthete, known for his wit and intellect, Wilde not only had to endure his prose being labeled "poisonous" and "vulgar," but also suffer its use as evidence in the ensuing trial, resulting in his eventual imprisonment for crimes of "gross indecency." Frankel's introduction provides a deft preliminary analysis of the novel itself exploring etymology and extensive editorial alterations (both accidental and deliberate) and offers valuable insight into the socio-cultural juxtaposition of aristocratic Victorian society and the London underworld. The original typescript provides the unique opportunity to examine what was considered acceptable in both the US and UK at the time. Intriguing annotations allude to Wilde's influences and enterprising range of reference, incorporating art, poetry, literature, Greek mythology, philosophy, and fashion (certain to inspire further reading; an appendix is provided). Comparisons are drawn between Dorian Gray and Wilde's other literary output, as well as to the work of Walter Pater. Numerous illustrations subtly compliment Frankel s inferences. A fine contextualization of a major work of fiction profoundly interpreted, ultimately riveting.
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