The Picture of Dorian Gray

Oscar Wilde

May 2014 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

The Picture of Dorian Gray scandalized readers when it was first published in 1890. Written in Wilde’s signature style, the story has gone on to become an enduring tale of man’s hubris and narcissism.

The well-known artist Basil Hallward meets the young Dorian Gray in the stately London home of his aunt, Lady Brandon. Basil becomes immediately infatuated with Dorian, who is cultured, wealthy, and remarkably beautiful. Such beauty, Basil believes, is responsible for a new mode of art, and he decides to paint a portrait of the young man. While finishing the painting, Basil reluctantly introduces Dorian to his friend Lord Henry Wotton, a man known for scandal and exuberance. Wotton inspires Dorian to live life through the senses, to feel beauty in everyday experience. Dorian becomes enthralled by Wotton’s ideas, and more so becomes obsessed with remaining young and beautiful. He expresses a desire to sell his soul and have the portrait of him age, while he, the man, stays eternally young. A tragic story of hedonism and desire, The Picture of Dorian Gray is Oscar Wilde’s only published novel.

Ratings and reviews

It was boring, and weird. I am not into philosophy, nor am I gay. listening to a guy character(Dorian gray) being described in such a way really turned me off from the beginning. my female coworker loved it though. If you love romance, philosophy, and dark plots, you need this book. If you love well written fun characters, and action/ adventure based plots, I suggest looking elsewhere.

the book is perfect, but I do not support a publisher that puts external links in an e-book. Plus, you can get this book for free if you look better in the store.

Whenever a friend of mine reads anything by Edgar Rice Burroughs, he plays a game called "Is this Racist?" While reading "The Picture of Dorian Gray", I played a similar game called "Is this Gay?" There's something to be said about a novel about pretty young rich men who wander about England getting involved on societal shenanigans, and as a fan of regency/Victorian pieces, I was finding myself becoming bored rather quickly. I found that Lord Henry's philosophies to be outlandish, even by today's standards, and I was starting to think I was reading the wrong book when finally the supernatural element appeared. "Aha!" Thought I, "At last the story begins!" But no, the pacing of the novel continued to be slow and sluggish until the very last word. Reading it, I wondered what not only it said about society of the past, but also society of today. What parallels can be drawn here? Do we still praise beauty over intelligence? The obvious, and rather short, answer is yes, and the fact that there are people similar to the title character that exist today and are loved. As a book, I don't recommend it. As a study of character and society, I find that this makes a decent frame of reference.

About the author

Oscar Wilde was born on October 16, 1854, to the Irish nationalist and writer “Speranza” Wilde and the doctor William Wilde. After graduating from Oxford in 1878, Wilde moved to London, where he became notorious for his sharp wit and flamboyant style of dress.

Though he was publishing plays and poems throughout the 1880s, it wasn’t until the late 1880s and early 1890s that his work started to be received positively. In 1895, Oscar Wilde was tried for homosexuality and was convicted and sentenced to two years in prison. Tragically, this downfall came at the height of his career, as his plays, An Ideal Husband and The Importance of Being Earnest, were playing to full houses in London. He was greatly weakened by the privations of prison life, and moved to Paris after his sentence. Wilde died in a hotel room, either of syphilis or complications from ear surgery, in Paris, on November 30, 1900.