Evil's Impact and Loss of Self-Identity in Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray

This thesis examines one aspect of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray: the Faustian impact. The paper relies on the arguement that the great predecessor's, Christopher Marlowe's play The Tragedy of Doctor Faustus may be among the possible literary sources. The Renaissance work roots in the tradition of morality plays, the signs of which can be recognised in the novel, too. I will compare the textual and structural attributes of both literary pieces by mainly relying on my understanding of textual references. The paper concludes that several common panels, elements, character-types can be noticed, which supports the claim: Marlowe's work is a possible source of Wilde's novel.