The Picture of Dorian Gray

The Picture of Dorian Gray is the only novel by Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), first published in Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine in 1890 and in revised book form in 1891. The story of the beautiful young man whose portrait ages and corrupts while he remains untouched has become one of the central myths of English literature: Dorian, under the influence of the witty hedonist Lord Henry Wotton, pursues a double life of refined pleasure and hidden cruelty, while the painting locked in his attic records every sin on its face. The novel scandalised Victorian reviewers and was later used against Wilde at his trials. It survives as the definitive fiction of aestheticism, quoted everywhere for Lord Henry’s epigrams, and remains the most read of all Wilde’s works. Free PDF download available on BDeBooks.