In addition, I would also like to thank my friends, colleagues, the department faculty and staff for consistently being a source of inspiration to me and making my time at Iowa State University a wonderful experience. Finally, thanks to my girlfriend, Hannah, for her hours of patience, respect, love, and the occasional backrub. v ABSTRACT "Artistic (Mis)representation and Commodity Culture in The Picture of Dorian Gray and The House of Mirth" attempts to establish a transAtlantic connection between authors Oscar Wilde and Edith Wharton by considering the manner in which each author's respective protagonist relates to art, commodities, and the society in which he or she lives. By reading