Victorian Visual Culture

Not really an analysis of the novel itself, but an interesting related tid-bit: We have an old family friend who also happens to be the author of some really insane sci-fi/fantasy books. Gregory Frost published a collection of short stories called Attack of the Jazz Giants, and in that collection is the story, “The Girlfriends of Dorian Gray.” It’s a fairly lengthy story, so I’ll try to sum it up…

Our main character is a gourmand who uses his girlfriends as “vessels” for his meals. Upon giving them a ring with a spell cast upon it, every bite he eats, every pound he would gain, goes instead to the woman sitting across the table. Eventually, each woman realizes that their immense weight gain has something to do with this relationship and leaves. He is perfectly content as long as he can find a new vessel. Eventually, this man meets a woman whose cooking is so out of this world that he is nearly willing to forgo his use of her as a vessel. I won’t spoil the ending in case anyone is interested in looking into the story, but knowing the ending of the Wilde novel, you might be able to guess the outcome.

Seriously, it’s a great story. My ten-line recap doesn’t do it justice. I found a reading of the story on a podcast. Greg was not the reader; I’m not exactly sure where it came from but here is the link, just in case you’re interested: The Girlfriends of Dorian Gray (Just enter the three-letter code, and you should be taken right to it)