Faustian Deal in The Woman in White, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and D

The Faustian deal and subsequent f exclusively is a common theme throughout literature, and with each new iteration sheds increase light on the character of the individual and of society. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson are all texts which exhibit the Faustian deal and descent, complete with Doctor Faustus and Mephistopheles counterparts. Sir Percival Glyde, Dorian Gray, and Dr. Edward Hyde are all characters who are ultimately lead to their moral downfalls by their respective Mephistopheles counterparts. Specifically, the characters of Sir Percival Glyde, Dorian Gray, and Dr. Henry Jekyll fulfill and contrast the Faustian archetype, who are aided in their moral descent by their Mephistopheles foils, Count Fosco, Lord Henry Wotton, and Mr. Edward Hyde respectively. The characters of the different novels testament be compared against one another and a discourse about what their vary ing motivations reveal about their respective moral compasses will be conducted. Among other vices the characters exhibit, emptiness plays a prime part in their individual development. Vanity is a detriment on the individual, and serves as a driving force behind the tether characters motivations, ultimately leading to their respective downfalls.At its core, the Faustian deal is a contract between an individual who aspires to be or light upon a type of greatness and a devil who enables the individual to do so at a severe cost. There are different versions, including the certain German legend, Johann Wolfgang von Goethes Faust and Christopher Marlowes The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus. Most typically, as in the case of the titular Faust of leg... ...pr. 2014. Marlowe, Christopher. Doctor Faustus. Ed. coarse Barnet. 2nd ed. New York Signet Classics, 2010. Print. Puhvel, Martin. Mephostophiliss Manipulation of Faustus. English Studies 71.1 (1990) 1-5. Li terary Reference Center. Web. 02 whitethorn 2014. Sanyal, Arundhati. Taboo in The Picture of Dorian Gray. The Taboo. Ed. Harold Bloom and Blake Hobby. New York Blooms Literary Criticism, 2010. 147-56. Print. Stevenson, Robert Louis. rummy Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. New Lanark Waverley, 2008. Print. Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. Ed. Joseph Bristow. Oxford Oxford UP, 2008. Print. Yirinec, Jennifer A. Re-Envisioning the Faust Legend Christopher Marlowes The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus and Richard Burton and Nevill Coghills Doctor Faustus Literature Film Quarterly 41.1 (2013) 67-76. Literary Reference Center. Web. 03 May 2014.