From the Archive: St. Vincent’s Seduction

The novel centers on the life of Dorian Gray, a young man who becomes infatuated with his own beauty and the hedonistic philosophies of Lord Henry Wotton. After wishing that his portrait would age instead of himself, Dorian embarks on a life of sensual excess and moral decay, while his portrait reflects the true state of his soul. The story delves into the duality of human nature, the allure of aestheticism, and the critique of Victorian society, highlighting the devastating effects of evil and debauchery on Dorian's life and those around him.

In 'Black Like Me', John Howard Griffin recounts his daring experiment to understand the lives of African Americans in the segregated South. In 1959, Griffin, a white man, underwent medical treatment to darken his skin and traveled through the Deep South, experiencing firsthand the racism and segregation faced by Black people. His journey took him from New Orleans to Mississippi and Alabama, where he encountered severe racial prejudice and violence. The book highlights the stark contrast in treatment he received as a white man versus a Black man and emphasizes the need for tolerant dialogue to bridge the racial divide. Griffin's work was initially published in 'Sepia' magazine and later as a bestselling book, which became a significant contribution to the civil rights movement.