Tabs & Twists
The Picture of Dorian Gray
A beautiful young man stays unchanged while his portrait absorbs the marks of his corruption.
- Setting / Period
- Victorian England
- First published
- 1890
- Pages
- 254
- Language
- English
Review
Dorian Gray wishes that his portrait would age instead of him, and his wish comes true. Encouraged by the cynical Lord Henry, he pursues pleasure with no consequence for his face, only for the canvas in his attic.
Wilde packs the book with epigrams, and Lord Henry's speeches are a delight even when they are poisonous. Underneath the wit is a moral fable about vanity, influence and the price of living only for sensation.
The pacing wobbles in the middle chapters, but the final scenes are properly chilling. It is a clever, decadent Gothic tale that still feels sharp.
