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."