Return to the Classics: Re-viewing the Picture of Dorian Gray

Join us for the next installment of our Return to the Classics series, a new program at the Philadelphia Barnes & Noble that invites scholars, professors and readers into the store to discuss their favorite works of classic literature.

Richard Haslam, an Associate Professor of English at Saint Joseph’s University, will be joining us on Thursday, August 15th at 6pm to discuss Oscar Wilde's masterpiece The Picture of Dorian Gray. Haslam's publications on Oscar Wilde have appeared in the Third Norton Critical Edition of The Picture of Dorian Gray, the First Norton Critical Edition of The Importance of Being Earnest, and a variety of scholarly journals.

Thank you for supporting our store and events program by purchasing your copy of The Picture of Dorian Gray at our Philadelphia Barnes & Noble location.

We encourage all interested attendees to register for a ticket through our Eventbrite.

• Please arrive on time according to your ticket in order to secure your seat in the event space. Late arrivals may only have access to standing room and may not have the opportunity to enter the event space.
• The exact time at which the event ends will be determined on the day. To avoid disappointment, we strongly advise you to arrive on time for the event.

• All event guidelines are subject to change.

• If you have any additional questions, please can call the store directly at: (267) 234-9790.

• Barnes & Noble may cancel this event at any time with or without notice to the ticket holders.

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The ever-quotable Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was an Irish playwright, novelist, essayist, and poet who delighted Victorian England with his legendary wit. He found critical and popular success with his scintillating plays, chiefly The Importance of Being Earnest, while his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, scandalized readers. Imprisoned for two years for homosexual behavior, Wilde moved to France after his release, where he died destitute.

Enthralled by his own exquisite portrait, Dorian Gray makes a Faustian bargain to sell his soul in exchange for eternal youth and beauty. Under the influence of Lord Henry Wotton, he is drawn into a corrupt double life, where he is able to indulge his desires while remaining a gentleman in the eyes of polite society. Only Dorian's picture bears the traces of his decadence.

A knowing account of a secret life and an analysis of the darker side of late Victorian society,The Picture of Dorian Gray offers a disturbing portrait of an individual coming face to face with the reality of his soul. Shocking in its suggestion of unspeakable sin, this novel was later used as evidence against Wilde when he was tried for indecency in 1895.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Barnes & Noble - Philadelphia, 1708 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, United States