The Picture of Dorian Gray

By Oscar Wilde, Mariella De Souza, Alexandre Barbosa de Souza, et al.

Book Overview

"The Picture of Dorian Gray" is a masterwork of gothic fiction and philosophical exploration that delves into the dark side of Victorian society and the nature of the soul. The story follows the young and strikingly beautiful Dorian Gray, who becomes the subject of a portrait by the artist Basil Hallward. Under the influence of the hedonistic Lord Henry Wotton, Dorian becomes obsessed with his own beauty and youth, eventually making a fateful wish that he might remain young forever while the portrait bears the marks of his aging and his increasingly sinful life.

As Dorian descends into a world of indulgence, cruelty, and moral corruption, he remains outwardly untainted, while the hidden canvas transforms into a grotesque record of his internal decay. This haunting tale examines the relationship between art and reality, the consequences of unchecked hedonism, and the conflict between public image and private morality. Oscar Wilde blends wit, decadence, and supernatural elements to create a compelling narrative that remains a cornerstone of late Victorian literature. "The Picture of Dorian Gray" continues to captivate readers with its sophisticated exploration of the human psyche and the enduring quest for eternal youth.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you may see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1025495578
• ISBN13: 9781025495576
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Tradd Street Press
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Who wants to look young forever?

Basil, who up until now was a mediocre painter, after meeting Dorian Gray, a young Adonis, was inspired to create a masterpiece into which he puts himself. Against Basil's wishes, Basil’s friend Lord Henry influences Dorian Gray. Dorian looks at his portrait and realizes that while the portrait will stay young forever, he will grow old; so, Dorian makes a wish that if only he could stay young forever, the portrait could age. At first, Dorian does not realize his wish has been granted. He falls in love with a beautiful young actress who is every woman that Shakespeare ever wrote about. But once again due to Lord Henry's influence, he realizes that she is just a common girl. Starting with absent-minded acts, Dorian slowly sinks into debauchery. And with every new act, his picture becomes more grotesque while Dorian stays as young and innocent-looking as the day his picture was painted. What will become of Dorian? What will become of Dorian's painting? What would you do if you were Dorian? Oscar Wilde paints a picture himself as he describes Dorian Gray's dilemma. And we, as readers, travel with Dorian as each decision is made. In some places in the story, Oscar Wilde seems to drag on and on with detail; however, we find that this detail is necessary to set the next scene. Oscar Wilde himself led a risky life that led to a jail sentence; his attitude can be seen in the dialogue in this book.

love dorian gray

this book is genuinely a great journey as you read it. from the mystical aspect, to watching the character cook up and unravel, you easily get lost in the story. it’s not as stuffy and slow as many classics tend to be. highly recommend! the book itself came in great shape.

Enthralling. Classic

oscar wilde is such a vivid author you feel like you're in the book.

A bit overrated

Honestly, the beginning and the end are the most entertaining and gripping part of the book. A few of the later chapters were very very slow and basically goes on and on in mindless descriptions of the things he collects and stories he becomes infatuated with. It was mehh in my opinion.

The Best Classic

This is the best classic I've ever read, and nothing will convince me otherwise.

The Ugly Side Of Beauty

I didn’t find anything I didn’t enjoy in this story, I would’ve liked it to be longer, granted, Lord Henry’s character was pretty unlikable but also very interesting, he poisoned the mind of naive and beautiful Dorian, and was the biggest influence to his downfall, sometimes it sucks to be so beautiful.