Wilde's only novel first published in 1890 is a brilliantly designed puzzle intended to tease conventional minds with its exploration of the myriad interrelationships between art life & consequence. From its provocative Preface challenging the reader to believe in 'art for art's sake' to its sensational conclusion the story self-consciously experiments with the notion of sin as an element of design. Yet Wilde himself underestimated the consequences of his experiment & its capacity to outrage the Victorian establishment. Its words returned to haunt him in his court appearances in 1895 & he later recalled the 'note of doom' which runs like 'a violet thread' through its carefully crafted prose. ...

WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY IRVINE WELSH. Dorian is a good-natured young man until he discovers the power of his own exceptional beauty. As he gradually sinks deep into a frivolous glamorous world of selfish luxury he apparently remains physically unchanged by the stresses of his corrupt lifestyle & untouched by age. But up in his attic hidden behind a curtain his portrait tells a different story... ...

This is a beautiful leatherbound edition of Wilde's scandalous story of excess & corruption. It features a satin-ribbon bookmark distinctive stained edging & decorative marbled endpapers. This edition of a novel now acknowledged a landmark of literature will be an artful addition to any home library. Horror hides behind an attractive face in The Picture of Dorian Gray" Oscar Wilde's tale of a notorious Victorian libertine & his life of evil excesses. Though Dorian's hedonistic indulgences leave no blemish on his ageless features the painted portrait imbued with his soul proves a living catalogue of corruption. Desperate to hide the physical evidence of his unregenerate spirit Dorian will stop at nothing not even murder to keep his picture's existence a secret. A scandalous story when it was first published in 1890 Wilde's novel is acknowledged a landmark of literature today & a tale emblematic of its time. This exquisite collectible edition features an elegant bonded-leather binding a satin-ribbon bookmark distinctive stained edging & decorative marbled endpapers. It's the perfect gift for book-lovers & an artful addition to any home library." ...

Oscar Wildes tale of a Faustian pact in Victorian England The Picture of Dorian Gray" is a both a slow-burning Gothic horror & a brilliant philosophical investigation of youth beauty & desire. This " Penguin Classics" edition is edited with an introduction & notes by Robert Mighall. Enthralled by his own exquisite portrait Dorian Gray exchanges his soul for eternal youth & beauty. Influenced by his friend Lord Henry Wotton he is drawn into a corrupt double life; indulging his desires in secret while remaining a gentleman in the eyes of polite society. Only his portrait bears the traces of his decadence. " The Picture of Dorian Gray" was a succes de scandale. Early readers were shocked by its hints at unspeakable sins & the book was later used as evidence against Wilde at the Old Bailey in 1895. It has lost none of its power to fascinate & disturb. This definitive edition

Includes:: a selection of contemporary reviews condemning the novels immorality & the introduction to the first " Penguin Classics" edition by Peter Ackroyd. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) son of an eminent eye-surgeon & a nationalist poet was educated in Dublin & Oxford & became the leading exponent of the new Aesthetic Movement. His work including short fiction such " The Happy Price" (1888) his novel " The Picture of Dorian Gray" (1891) gradually won him a reputation which was cemented by his phenomenally successful plays including "A Woman of No Importance" (1893) " An Ideal Husband" (1895) & " The Importance of Being Earnest" (1895). Imprisoned for homosexual acts he died after his release in exile in Paris. If you enjoyed " The Picture of Dorian Gray" you might like Joris-Karl Huysmans " Against Nature" ("A Rebours") Wildes real-life inspiration for the novel that slowly corrupts " Dorian Gray" also available in " Penguin Classics"."

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' The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.' When Dorian Gray has his portrait painted he is captivated by his own beauty. Tempted by his world-weary decadent friend Lord Henry Wotton he wishes to stay forever young & pledges his very soul to keep his good looks. Set in fin-de-siecle London the novel traces a path from the studio of painter Basil Hallward to the opium dens of the East End. As Dorian's slide into crime & cruelty progresses he stays magically youthful while his beautiful portrait changes revealing the hideous corruption of moral decay. Ever since its first publication in 1890 Wilde's only novel has remained the subject of critical controversy. Acclaimed by some as an instructive moral tale it has been denounced by others for its implicit immorality. Combining elements of the supernatural aestheticism & the Gothic The Picture of Dorian Gray is an unclassifiable & uniquely unsettling work of fiction. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range 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 helpful notes to clarify the text up-to-date bibliographies for further study & much more. ...

Harper Collins is proud to present its new range of best-loved essential classics. ' How sad it is! I shall grow old & horrid & dreadful. But this picture will remain always young... If it was only the other way!' Wilde's first & only published novel recounts the story of handsome Dorian Gray who upon having his portrait painted desires that it will age & grow ugly while he may remain eternally beautiful. The painting which reflects each of Gray's sins & transgressions in its hideousness haunts him until it finally becomes unbearable. In this dark tale of duplicity & mortality Wilde creates a world where art & reality collide. ...

Published just before he reached the height of his fame Wildes only novel has endured as surely as the great plays for which he is celebrated. By exploring the actions of a young man who contracts to retain his outward beauty at the expense of inward corruption
- symbolized in a portrait that ages as he stays the same
- Wilde achieved a seminal novel that is part fable part comedy of manners & part treatise on the nature of art & beauty. As the figure in Dorians portrait changes to reflect Dorians inner decay the stage is set for a masterful tale about appearance reality & the ultimate burden of conscience. A lasting classic of sophisticated wit & playfulness The Picture of Dorian Gray" assembles all the elements of Oscar Wildes wide-ranging talents in a compelling reinterpretation of the Faustian myth."

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A woman wakes to find herself in a graveyard hurt & bleeding her memory wiped clean. She doesnt know what shes doing there
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This is a fun & funky series charting the hopes dreams & schemes of the lively loveable Lucy
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This is a purrfect series filled with chaos adventure & magic spells! Orla is very excited about entering the local photo competition
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