Oscar Wilde 
The Picture of Dorian Gray 

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Handsome young Dorian Gray sees a painter’s stunning portrait of him and becomes transfixed by his own beauty. Troubled by the knowledge that the painting will remain handsome while he himself will wither, Dorian exchanges his soul for eternal youth. From that point on, Dorian lives a life of hedonistic indulgence, knowing that only the painting will show his moral corruption.

 


Literary history and meaning:
The Picture of Dorian Gray,  by Oscar Wilde, was first published in 1890. Wilde’s first and only novel delivers a scathing critique of Victorian society’s superficial judgments and hypocrisy. The novel provokes philosophical thought on the duality of human nature and the ethical consequences of surrendering to one’s baser instincts. Though controversial in its time,  
The Picture of Dorian Gray continues to be a celebrated literary work and it resonates with twenty-first century readers, posing questions about who we are versus how we present ourselves in our social profiles, online and offline, and the high cost of prioritizing image over ethics.

About the author

Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) was a renowned novelist, short story writer, essayist, playwright, and poet whose work was associated with the Aesthetes and Decadents movement of the late 19th century.