The Picture of Dorian Gray
by Oscar Wilde
'The Picture of Dorian Gray' Summary
The novel tells of a young man named Dorian Gray, the subject of a painting by artist Basil Hallward. Basil is impressed by Dorian’s beauty and becomes infatuated with him, believing his beauty is responsible for a new mode in his art. Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton, a friend of Basil’s, and becomes enthralled by Lord Henry’s world view. Espousing a new hedonism, Lord Henry suggests the only things worth pursuing in life are beauty and fulfillment of the senses. Realizing that one day his beauty will fade, Dorian (whimsically) expresses a desire to sell his soul to ensure the portrait Basil has painted would age rather than himself. Dorian’s wish is fulfilled, plunging him into debauched acts.
The portrait serves as a reminder of the effect each act has upon his soul, with each sin displayed as a disfigurement of his form, or through a sign of aging. The Picture of Dorian Gray is considered a work of classic gothic fiction with a strong Faustian theme.
Book Details
Author
Oscar Wilde
Ireland
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, the early 1890s saw him become...
More on Oscar WildeDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
Related books
Mystery of the Ambush in India by Andy Adams
A deadly ambush in the heart of India. A young man accused of murder. A desperate race to clear his name. Biff Brewster is a young American tourist t...
The Young Pretenders by Edith Henrietta Fowler
In a time of political turmoil, two young men set out to claim the throne. The Young Pretenders is a historical novel by Edith Henrietta Fowler that...
The Lust of Hate by Guy Boothby
Amidst the shadows of Victorian London, Gilbert Pennethorne, a man consumed by bitterness and a thirst for revenge, finds himself entangled in the sin...
The House on the Downs by Gladys Edson Locke
This timeless story is set in the idyllic English countryside and follows the adventures of a young girl named Anne who discovers a mysterious old hou...
The Flirt by Booth Tarkington
In a small town in Indiana, a young woman's innocent flirtations lead to scandal and heartbreak. Laura Madison is a beautiful and charming young woma...
Bonne-Marie, a Tale of Normandy and Paris by Henry Gréville
"A young woman's journey from the shores of Normandy to the bustling streets of Paris." In this novel, Henry Gréville tells the story of Bonne-Marie,...
In the Year of Jubilee by George Gissing
In the Year of Jubilee is the thirteenth novel by English author George Gissing. First published in 1894. In the summer of 1893 Gissing returned...
Germinal (English) by Emile Zola
In the darkness of a coal mine, a spark of hope ignites a firestorm of revolution. Germinal is a novel by Émile Zola that tells the story of a group...
The Peterkin Papers by Lucretia Peabody Hale
The Peterkins were a lovable but comically inept family that possess ingenuity, logic, resourcefulness, and energy--but not common sense. The general...
A Daily Rate by Grace Livingston Hill
Imagine inheriting a fortune from a long-lost relative, but with one catch: you must spend it all within a year. That's the predicament Celia Murray f...
Reviews for The Picture of Dorian Gray
No reviews posted or approved, yet...