The Representation of Grandiose and vulnerable narcissism in the film adaptation of Dorian Gray and Iravin Nizhal (Shadow of Night)

M. Ramesh Kumar; Dr. G. Christopher

M. Ramesh Kumar Department of English, SSL, VIT University, Vellore.
Dr. G. Christopher Department of English, School of Social Science and Languages, VIT, Vellore.

Keywords: Grandiose Narcissism, vulnerable narcissism, Qualitative research, Dorian Gray, Iravin Nizha, mental health

Abstract

This research paper aims to promote some interdisciplinary debate in examining how the subtypes of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism coalesce in the portrayal of the protagonists chosen for the study. Employing a qualitative and descriptive methodology, this scholarly article attempts to critically analyse the protagonists of the film adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s only novella, The Picture of Dorian Gray. Dorian, as captured on the silver screen in “Dorian Gray” (2009), directed by Oliver Parker and Nandhu, the heartless financier and protagonist of Shadow of Night-Iravin Nizhal (2022), directed by R. Parthiban, is instantiated as the embodiment of the two spectrums of narcissism, namely grandiose in the former and vulnerable in the latter. The scholar attempts to disseminate some aesthetic and critical appreciation of narcissism, examining how it has ruined the main characters' lives, thus calling for immediate attention to mental health issues and awareness of the malignantly spreading diseases like cancer.

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Author Biographies

M. Ramesh Kumar, Department of English, SSL, VIT University, Vellore.

M Ramesh Kumar is a full-time PhD research scholar at Vellore Institute of Technology, Tamilnadu. He is currently pursuing his research in Narcissism and Psychoanalysis under the able guidance of Dr. G. Christopher. His broad area of interest includes Teaching literature, poetry, drama, pedagogy, psychology, storytelling ELT, corporate and placement training, etc.

Dr. G. Christopher, Department of English, School of Social Science and Languages, VIT, Vellore.

Dr. G. Christopher holds a PhD in English Literature from Barathiyar University, Coimbatore, and Tamilnadu. He presently works as an Assistant Professor, senior Grade-1 in the Department of English, School of Social Sciences and Languages at Vellore Institute of Technology. He is a senior research guide with over two decades of Teaching and Research experience. His research expertise encompasses British, American, Indian, and Afro-American literature, Eco-criticism, feminism, theological Hermeneutics, children's literature, and ELT. He has published many scholarly articles both in journals of national and international repute to his credit.

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