Enthralled by his own exquisite portrait, Dorian Gray makes a Faustian bargain to sell his soul in exchange for eternal youth and beauty. Under the influence of Lord Henry Wotton, he is drawn into a corrupt double life, where he is able to indulge his desires while remaining a gentleman in the eyes of polite society. Only Dorian's picture bears the traces of his decadence.

A knowing account of a secret life and an analysis of the darker side of late Victorian society. The Picture of Dorian Gray offers a disturbing portrait of an individual coming face to face with the reality of his soul. Shocking in its suggestion of unspeakable sin, this novel was later used as evidence against Wilde when he was tried for indecency in 1895.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Your favourite classic titles in a way you have never seen them before; the tactile layers, fine details and beautiful colours of these remarkable covers make these titles feel extra special and will look striking on any shelf.

This book has a matching lined journal (sold separately). They make a great gift when paired together but are also just as beautiful on their own.

Dorian Gray is the subject of a full-length portrait in oil by Basil Hallward, an artist impressed and infatuated by Dorian's beauty; he believes that Dorian's beauty is responsible for the new mood in his art as a painter. Through Basil, Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton, and he soon is enthralled by the aristocrat's hedonistic world view: that beauty and sensual fulfilment are the only things worth pursuing in life. Newly understanding that his beauty will fade, Dorian expresses the desire to sell his soul, to ensure that the picture, rather than he, will age and fade. The wish is granted, and Dorian pursues a libertine life of varied amoral experiences while staying young and beautiful; all the while, his portrait ages and records every sin.

Now, for the first time, we can read the version that Wilde intended...Both the text and Nicholas Frankel's introduction make for fascinating reading. --Paris Review

More than 120 years after Oscar Wilde submitted The Picture of Dorian Gray for publication in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine, the uncensored version of his novel appears here for the first time in a paperback edition. This volume restores all of the material removed by the novel's first editor.

Upon receipt of the typescript, Wilde's editor panicked at what he saw. Contained within its pages was material he feared readers would find offensive--especially instances of graphic homosexual content. He proceeded to go through the typescript with his pencil, cleaning it up until he made it acceptable to the most fastidious taste. Wilde did not see these changes until his novel appeared in print. Wilde's editor's concern was well placed. Even in its redacted form, the novel caused public outcry. The British press condemned it as vulgar, unclean, poisonous, discreditable, and a sham. When Wilde later enlarged the novel for publication in book form, he responded to his critics by further toning down its immoral elements.

Wilde famously said that The Picture of Dorian Gray contains much of me Basil Hallward is what I think I am, Lord Henry what the world thinks me, and Dorian what I would like to be--in other ages, perhaps. Wilde's comment suggests a backward glance to a Greek or Dorian Age, but also a forward-looking view to a more permissive time than his own repressive Victorian era. By implication, Wilde would have preferred we read today the uncensored version of his novel.

Entranced by the perfection of his recently painted portrait, the youthful Dorian Gray expresses a wish that the figure on the canvas could age and change in his place. When his wish comes true, the portrait becomes his hideous secret as he follows a downward trajectory of decadence and cruelty that leaves its traces only in the portrait's degraded image.

The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde's unforgettable portrayal of a Faustian bargain and its consequences, is narrated with his characteristic incisive wit and diamond-sharp prose.

Indulge in the captivating world of Oscar Wilde's masterpiece The Picture of Dorian Gray. This exquisite edition presents Wilde's iconic novel in a visually stunning format, offering readers a luxurious reading experience. Immerse yourself in the decadence, beauty, and moral complexity of Dorian Gray's haunting tale.

The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde's only full-length novel, is the enduringly eerie story of a na ve and irresistible young man lured by decadent Lord Henry Wotton into a life of depravity. Though Dorian is steeped in sin, his face remains perfect, unlined as years pass--while only his portrait, locked away, reveals the blackness of his soul. This timeless tale of Gothic horror and fable, reveling in the unabashed hedonism and cynical wit of its characters, epitomizes Wilde's literary revolt against the proprieties of the Victorian era.

Sharing this volume with The Picture of Dorian Gray are Wilde's clever and sophisticated story Lord Arthur Savile's Crime and two of his delicate fairy tales, The Happy Prince and The Birthday of the Infanta.

With an Introduction by Gary Schnidgall
and an Afterword by Peter Raby

About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

In this celebrated work, his only novel, Wilde forged a devastating portrait of the effects of evil and debauchery on a young aesthete in late-19th-century England. Combining elements of the Gothic horror novel and decadent French fiction, the book centers on a striking premise: As Dorian Gray sinks into a life of crime and gross sensuality, his body retains perfect youth and vigor while his recently painted portrait grows day by day into a hideous record of evil, which he must keep hidden from the world. For over a century, this mesmerizing tale of horror and suspense has enjoyed wide popularity. It ranks as one of Wilde's most important creations and among the classic achievements of its kind.

Oscar Wilde's only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, is an enduring masterpiece of gothic horror, exploring the corruption of humanity, our desire to sin, and the extremes vanity will lead us to.

Young, handsome, and privileged, Dorian Gray has his portrait painted by the talented Basil Hallward. When Sir Henry Wotton convinces Dorian of the need to indulge in one's own vanity and to take advantage of his good looks, the young man makes a wish that could become his downfall when he exchanges his soul for eternal youth. As Dorian lives out a selfishly decadent lifestyle, he remains the picture of a perfect gentleman to those around him, but his portrait displays the consequences of an ageing and sinful existence.

First published in 1890 and written with Oscar Wilde's alluring wit and breathtaking imagery, The Picture of Dorian Gray is a timeless Gothic tragedy, perfect for those interested in classic fantasy and horror.

Oscar Wilde was at once a family man and a homosexual outsider, a socialite, socialist, and Irish nationalist. His contradictions inspired him to ponder the roles and masks donned in conventional society, and his acute and wry insights are wonderfully displayed in this collection of his essential plays. Known not only for his brilliant, epigrammatic language, but also for his sense of theatrical design, color, and staging, Wilde created an enduring body of finely crafted works, whose delights and ironies still speak to modern audiences. In addition to Lady Windermere's Fan, Salomé, A Woman of No Importance, An Ideal Husband, A Florentine Tragedy, and The Importance of Being Earnest, this edition contains an introduction, notes and commentaries, and an excised scene from The Importance of Being Earnest.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

A Penguin Classic Hardcover

With warmth, tenderness and quiet wit, Oscar Wilde's fables and fairy tales have moved and delighted for generations. In far-off kingdoms and ocean realms, in the company of giants and nightingales, Wilde speaks of heartbreak and redemption, of cruelty and compassion, of love lost, of love gained, of love lasting. Included in this selection are stories from The Happy Prince and A House of Pomegranates.

Written in his distinctively dazzling manner, Oscar Wilde's story of a fashionable young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty is the author's most popular work. The tale of Dorian Gray's moral disintegration caused a scandal when it first appeared in 1890, but though Wilde was attacked for the novel's corrupting influence, he responded that there is, in fact, a terrible moral in Dorian Gray. Just a few years later, the book and the aesthetic/moral dilemma it presented became issues in the trials occasioned by Wilde's homosexual liaisons, which resulted in his imprisonment. Of Dorian Gray's relationship to autobiography, Wilde noted in a letter, 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.

When handsome young Dorian Gray sees a painter's stunning portrait of him, he is transfixed by its reflection of his own beauty. He is also troubled by the knowledge that the image in the painting will remain forever youthful and handsome while he himself will grow older and less desirable. He wishes aloud that the roles were reversed, saying that he would give his soul if only the painting would suffer the ravages of time and he were to remain forever young. From that point on, Dorian lives a life of hedonistic indulgence, knowing that only the painting will show his moral corruption.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde was first published in 1890. The story is set in late nineteenth-century London and follows the life of Dorian Gray, a young man enthralled with himself. Wilde's first and only novel delivers a scathing critique of Victorian society's superficial judgments and hypocrisy. The novel provokes philosophical thought on the duality of human nature and the ethical consequences of surrendering to one's baser instincts. Though controversial in its time, The Picture of Dorian Gray has become a celebrated literary work still adapted today for its wit, social commentary, and timeless investigation of morality.

Subtitled A Trivial Comedy for Serious People, this hilarious attack on Victorian manners and morals turns a pompous world on its head, lets duplicity lead to happiness, and makes riposte the highest form of art. Written, according to Wilde, by a butterfly for butterflies, it is a dazzling masterpiece of comic entertainment.

Although it was originally written in four acts, The Importance of Being Earnest is usually performed in a three-act version. This authoritative edition features an appendix that restores valuable lines that appeared in the original.

Also included in this special collection are Wilde's first comedy success, Lady Windermere's Fan, and his richly sensual melodrama, Salomé, which he called that terrible coloured little tragedy I once in some strange mood wrote--and which shocked and enraged the censors of his time.

Includes an Introduction by Sylvan Barnet
and an Afterword by Elise Bruhl and Michael Gamer

The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde's masterpiece and lone novel, has endured as a significant piece of literature partly due to its philosophical nature and artful prose, and partly because of the stir it caused upon its initial publication. Published originally in 1890 in Lippincott's Magazine, The Picture of Dorian Gray--often deemed by Wilde's contemporaries to be indecent--tells the story of an attractive young man eponymous with the title who desires to be eternally young. Dorian is the subject of a portrait by a painter named Basil Hallward, who deems Gray's beauty to be inconceivably great. Rather than having to age himself, young and egotistical Dorian longs for the painting to age instead so that he can remain young and beautiful. When he sells his soul in exchange for eternal youth--a concept Wilde derived from the German legend of Faust--Dorian begins a life of vice and debauchery with its sole aim being pleasure. Meanwhile, the painting documents each of his sins within its appearance. When Dorian confronts the painting again with Hallward, a slew of unfortunate events unfold.

Abundant with rich, philosophical themes and commentary, The Picture of Dorian Gray is a classic tale that warns its readers of the dangers that come with narcissism, self-indulgence, and ignorance.

Behind every exquisite thing that existed, there was something tragic. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, a beloved Gothic masterpiece of supernatural terror and a #booktok sensation, is now available in an exquisite hardcover edition, featuring a foiled cover and distinctive interior design elements, making it an ideal gift for literature lovers, fans of gothic horror and allegorical literature, and book collectors. Each collectible volume will be the perfect addition to any well-appointed or dark academia library, or an attention-grabbing add for your holiday reading list or Christmas wish list.

Harper Muse Classics: The Gothic Chronicles Collection presents The Picture of Dorian Gray:

• Presents Oscar Wilde's unsettling Gothic tale of a man who sells his soul in exchange for eternal youth but who also pays for its tragic ramifications; its 1890 publication helped secure Wilde's place in literature's pantheon of great writers
• Explores such themes as the narcissistic worship of youth and beauty, the corrupting power of influence, the superficiality of society, and the true purpose of art and artistic expression
• Is ideal for Oscar Wilde fans, lovers of literary fiction and classic literature, and people who love both the book and the cinematic adaptations it inspired

Whether you're buying this as a gift or as a self-purchase, this remarkable edition features:

• Beautiful foil-accented hardcover
• Distinctive decorative interior pages featuring pull quotes distributed throughout
• Part of a 4-volume horror collection including Bram Stoker's Dracula, Dante's Inferno, and a volume of Edgar Allan Poe's best-known short stories

When renowned artist Basil Hallward meets the wealthy Dorian Gray, he is immediately drawn to Dorian's countenance. Hallward becomes fitfully obsessed with capturing Dorian's remarkable beauty, confessing as much to his friend Lord Henry Wotton. Wotton counters, arguing that Hallward's portrait is an unparalleled masterpiece. After his final sitting, in an impulsive fit of despair over losing his vitality to the ravages of time, Dorian pledges his soul, pleading that his portrait age and fade in exchange for Dorian's eternal youth. What follows is an unsettling descent into decadence, sensualism, murderous secrecy, and tragedy as the portrait supernaturally begins to reflect Dorian's spiritual and moral deterioration while his outward physical appearance remains unchanged.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde is part of a four-volume collection that includes Bram Stoker's Dracula, Dante's Inferno, and a volume of Edgar Allan Poe's best-known short stories.

Every selection appears in its entirety-a marvelous collection of outstanding works by the incomparable Oscar Wilde, who's been aptly called a lord of language by Max Beerbohm.