The SleepyTime Braacast: The Picture Of Dorian Gray

02/28/23 • 53 min

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The Picture of Dorian Gray is a philosophical novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde. A shorter novella-length version was published in the July 1890 issue of the American periodical Lippincott's Monthly Magazine.[1][2] The novel-length version was published in April 1891.

The story revolves around a portrait of Dorian Gray painted by Basil Hallward, a friend of Dorian's and an artist infatuated with Dorian's beauty. Through Basil, Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton and is soon enthralled by the aristocrat's hedonistic worldview: that beauty and sensual fulfillment are the only things worth pursuing in life. Newly understanding that his beauty will fade, Dorian expresses the desire to sell his soul, to ensure that the picture, rather than he, will age and fade. The wish is granted, and Dorian pursues a libertine life of varied amoral experiences while staying young and beautiful; all the while, his portrait ages and visually records every one of Dorian's sins.[3]

Wilde's only novel, it was subject to much controversy and criticism in its time but has come to be recognized as a classic of gothic literature.

Can't sleep? Let the dulcet voice of Erik Braa reading the classics take over for jumping sheep. These tales, narrated in a soothing, calm voice are designed to turn sleeplessness into somnolence. Tune in, zonk out.

Wilde's only novel, it was subject to much controversy and criticism in its time but has come to be recognized as a classic of gothic literature.

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The SleepyTime Braacast: The Magic Fishbone

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!

The Magic Fishbone is a children's book written by Charles Dickens in 1867, who pretended that it was written by Miss Alice Rainbird, age 7. The book was one of four so-called "holiday romances" (his much more famous Christmas Carol is one of the others comprising this group). It was first published in a children's magazine in the United States and then reprinted in a British magazine called "All the Year Round".

The book tells the story of Princess Alicia, who is given a magic fishbone by her fairy godmother and then uses the fishbone to improve the fortune of her parents, the King and Queen, and her eighteen brothers and sisters.

Wishing you the best for the Season! Sweet Dreams

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The SleepyTime Braacast: The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde[1] is a 1886 Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences between his old friend Dr. Henry Jekyll and a murderous criminal named Edward Hyde.

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is one of the most famous pieces of English literature, and is considered to be a defining book of the gothic horror genre. The novella has also had a sizable impact on popular culture, with the phrase "Jekyll and Hyde" being used in vernacular to refer to people with an outwardly good but sometimes shockingly evil nature.