The Picture of Dorian Gray

Oscar Wilde's only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray was published in 1890 and is a masterpiece of literature that deserves its place among the greatest classics in history. Dorian is a man who delights in the hedonistic worldview of aristocrat Henry Wotton, who considers beauty and sexual satisfaction to be the only things that matter in life. He wants to sell his soul so that only an oil-painted portrait of him will age and disappear, and he will keep his youth forever. Like Faust, Dorian has his wish granted and lives a libertine and amoral life. Aesthetic obsession and the life of appearances are central themes of The Portrait of Dorian Gray, an unparalleled narrative about moral decay in exchange for worldly pleasures.