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Cover of The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Oscar Wilde

  • 246 pages · about 4 hours
  • First published 1890
  • 3,012 editions
  • Free to read
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1 About this book

The Picture of Dorian Gray is an 1890 philosophical fiction and Gothic horror novel by Irish author Oscar Wilde. A shorter novella-length version was published in the July 1890 issue of the American periodical Lippincott's Monthly Magazine, while the novel-length version was published in April 1891. As the only novel written by Wilde, it is widely regarded as a classic of both Gothic and English literature, having been adapted many times for films, stage, plays, and other forms of art performances.

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 fulfilment are the only things worth pursuing in life. Knowing that he will lose his beauty with time, Dorian impulsively chooses to sell his soul and asks for the portrait, rather than himself, to age and fade.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

  • Fantasy
  • Horror
  • Fantasy, paranormal
  • Classics
  • Drama
  • Influence (Literary, artistic, etc.)
  • Portraits
  • Education

2 What to expect

A Gothic novel of ideas: a beautiful young man stays young while his portrait ages and records his sins. Vanity, influence, the worship of beauty and the moral hypocrisy of Victorian high society are its subjects, argued out in witty conversation full of epigrams. Much of the book is talk, and the mood grows steadily darker, with a strain of horror.

Good for readers who want: gothic fiction, witty dialogue, and a classic about vanity and conscience.

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4 About Oscar Wilde

1854–1900

Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential dramatists in London in the early 1890s. He was a key figure in the emerging Aestheticism movement of the late 19th century and is widely regarded as the greatest playwright of the Victorian era.

Bio adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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