The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde's only novel published in 1890, tells the story of a strikingly handsome young man in Victorian London. When artist Basil Hallward paints Dorian's portrait, the vain young man wishes the picture would age in his place. His wish mysteriously comes true: Dorian remains eternally youthful while his portrait conceals the grotesque evidence of his moral decay. Influenced by the hedonistic Lord Henry Wotton, Dorian pursues a life of pleasure and cruelty, leaving ruin behind him. This Gothic masterpiece explores themes of vanity, aestheticism, and the corrupting nature of sin, ultimately showing that no soul escapes judgment.
