Uncensored Dorian Gray text published for first time
time
An uncensored version of Oscar Wilde's only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, has finally been published more than 120 years after it was first released.
Oscar Wilde
7:35AM BST 28 Apr 2011
The book, which tells the story of a young man whose soul is bound up in a painting, was attacked as "vulgar" and "unclean" by contemporary critics despite the fact many of its more daring passages had already been edited out.
JM Stoddart, Wilde's editor, made a number of alterations to downplay the overt homoeroticism in the novel before it appeared in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine in June 1890.
He also removed references to the protagonist's female lovers as "mistresses", and withdrew other sections that "smacked of decadence", according to Nicholas Frankel, the editor of the new, original edition.
But his efforts did not go far enough, and following its publication more passages were removed, The Guardian reported.
One section reading "It is quite true I have worshipped you with far more romance of feeling than a man should ever give to a friend" was changed to: "From the moment I met you, your personality had the most extraordinary influence on me".
Mr Frankel said it was time to published the uncensored text, claiming he hoped to "bring it out of the closet" for a 21st century audience.
However, some critics questioned whether the uncensored version was better than the version that was originally published.
Brooke Allen, the author and columnist, wrote on the Barnes and Noble website that the new text "should serve as a supplement to the standard text rather than a replacement".
The book, which tells the story of a young man whose soul is bound up in a painting, was attacked as "vulgar" and "unclean" by contemporary critics despite the fact many of its more daring passages had already been edited out.
JM Stoddart, Wilde's editor, made a number of alterations to downplay the overt homoeroticism in the novel before it appeared in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine in June 1890.
He also removed references to the protagonist's female lovers as "mistresses", and withdrew other sections that "smacked of decadence", according to Nicholas Frankel, the editor of the new, original edition.
But his efforts did not go far enough, and following its publication more passages were removed, The Guardian reported.
One section reading "It is quite true I have worshipped you with far more romance of feeling than a man should ever give to a friend" was changed to: "From the moment I met you, your personality had the most extraordinary influence on me".
Mr Frankel said it was time to published the uncensored text, claiming he hoped to "bring it out of the closet" for a 21st century audience.
However, some critics questioned whether the uncensored version was better than the version that was originally published.
Brooke Allen, the author and columnist, wrote on the Barnes and Noble website that the new text "should serve as a supplement to the standard text rather than a replacement".
