The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde

A disturbing tale of an influential high society gentleman upon, and the moral corruption of, a young man towards the end of the nineteenth century.


Original reviewed as a ‘poisonous book’ and used against Oscar Wilde during his trial at the Old Bailey in 1895, we are introduced to the idle rich and their shallow double lives.

Dorian, a visually beautiful young man is introduced to the debauched Lord Henry Wotton, via their mutual friend and respected artist Basil Hallward. Upon viewing the portrait that Basil has painted of Dorian, Lord Henry remarks at how he has captured that beauty and what a shame it is that Dorian will age, as in his eyes beauty is everything. Dorian mutters a prayer wishing that the picture would age instead of him.

Thus, under Lord Henry’s ill guided friendship and the loan of a decadent book Dorian enters a world of depravity, drugs and eventually murder with the toll of his deeds being reflected in his portrait whist he himself remains youthful and untouched.

But, however, Dorian soon learns that beauty and the search for pleasure is not everything. Misery and paranoia set in until he is almost a prisoner in his own home, for fear that the painting will be discovered.

The language is flamboyant, the gentlemen are almost certainly gay or bisexual, however I am sure we have been given a true view of English high society life and opinions of the rich during the late part of that century which possibly still continues today.

About The Author

Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1854. A successful playright, Dorian Gray was his first and only novel. After its initial publication in 1890 the backlash he received required him to rewrite and extend the story, toning down the emotional segments between the mail characters and introducing new chapters to give more depth to other characters (Sibyl and James Vane), this was published in 1891.

In 1895 Wilde was found guilty of homosexual behaviour and was sentenced to two years hard labour which was the penalty at the time. Upon his release from prison he fled England and died in Paris from a blood infection in 1900.