The Picture of Dorian Gray

Not a book I've read recently but still a personal favourite, Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray is a timeless classic, teaching the reader a moral lesson each and every time.

Set in late nineteenth century England where art, aesthetics, experience and desire were frowned upon by typical Victorian society, the protagonist Dorian Gray endeavours to break free from those bonds and live by his own rules, selling his soul for perpetual youth and beauty. This trade is expressed in the picture Basil Hallward paints of Dorian; a symbol of his sins, vanity and selfish human nature.

With the help of his loyal but questionably influential friend Lord Henry Wotton, Dorian answers to no one but himself as he must deal with the strains of being a part of the upper echelons of society (tough life) but also of his morality decaying with every temptation he gives leave to. The philosophical novel represents every sin and corruption - providing a moral conflict between how we perceive ourselves compared to how others and society perceive us.

Wilde's first and only novel - beautifully written with rich language and a gripping plot (the film version is pretty good too) - was incredibly controversial at the time and no doubt contributed to his trial and resulting prison sentence for being homosexual. As he himself put it, "Basil Hallward is what I think I am: Lord Henry what the world thinks me: Dorian what I would like to be - in other ages, perhaps."

Title: The Picture of Dorian Gray
Author: Oscar Wilde
Genre: Fiction, Classics, Fantasy, Horror, Gothic
Published: 2001, Wordsworth Editions, first published 1890
Pages: 253

My rating: ★★★★★
Favourite quote: 'Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.' (But really I could pick hundreds from this highly quotable book).

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde on Goodreads