Graphic Wilde
"The Picture of Dorian Gray" and "The Importance of Being Earnest" in Comics
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4454/syn.v5.1197Keywords:
Oscar Wilde, Graphic Novel, Adaptation, Transmediality, Mise-en-scèneAbstract
Oscar Wilde’s production has appeared considerably late in the field of comic books in comparison with other 19th-century novels such as The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886) or Dracula (1897). This is mainly due to the themes dealt with by the author, which were considered unsuitable for a medium long thought to be exclusively addressed to children or young adults and, therefore, penalised by such laws as the American Comics Code Authority (1954). With the upsurge of comics in the 1980s, both in the academic world and in pop culture, and the rise in Neo-Victorian fiction, Wilde has been rediscovered and, along with him, the themes deemed antithetical to Victorian values and considered as taboos until a few decades ago. Consequently, many graphic novels have appeared, translating Wilde’s words into panels and balloons. Not surprisingly, the most frequently adapted work in the last twenty years has been The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890), probably due to the cinematographic debut of the character in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003). As far as drama is concerned, Salomè (1891) stands out and has even been adapted into comics by Italian authors, while the renowned The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) has just had one English adaptation by the Classical Comics publishing house. In this analysis, the Marvel adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray and the aforementioned version of The Importance of Being Earnest will be taken into account, pointing out similarities and variations between Wilde’s original works and their graphic counterparts. Indeed, Wilde can be considered as a model for comic book authors due to the highly aesthetic quality of his writing, which is capable of inspiring both scriptwriters and illustrators. I intend to specifically focus on these graphic adaptations, thus considering the comic book as a sort of mise-en-scène.
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